Evening star., 1922-04-27
TARIFF B|[LPE|R|L,
DECLARESS|MIM0NS
Means Higher Costs Of LN-
Ing and Reduces Production,
- Senator Says.

; The administration tariff bill, II
passed in its present form. will lead
to higher costs Of living. reduced
production. unemployment and the
further monopolization of American
industries, Senator Simmons Of North
Carolina, the democratic leader in the
tarin fight. declared yesterday in the
Senate. ifsi !
"A careful study Of this bill. in con-
nection with existing conditions here
and abroad" Senator Simmons said,
make IL perfectly clear that 1t was
framed with a view to maintaining
present prices and to- enable the In
dustries which 1t protects to further
advance these excessively high prices
without incurring the risk Of foreign
competition.
"a comparison Of the rates imposed
Aldrich bill will show that upon the
basis of the price of products during
the two periods - the only basis OF
fair comparison of equivalent ad va
lorems-the proposed rates applied to
present import prices average from .nn
average Payne-Aldrich rates for any
year during the life Of that act"
Rates About Deuble.
IT. think there can be no doubt" he
added, that the potential rates of
this bill are almost il not quite double
those. Of the present law.
Senator Simmons asserted that the
ed by the finance committee In hx-
ing rates, violates. every theory or
principle of protection heretofore
adopted or proclaimed by the cham
pions of protection. including the re.
publican party. in this country. and
with the super-added rate-making
powers conferred upon the President
makes rate fixing almost as, much
matter of political and personal pa
tronage as the distribution OF federal
Offices"
Proposals in the bill under which
the executive could change classifica-
tions or forms Of duty and increase or
decrease rates were declared by the
North Carolina senator to clothe
1.-THE President with legislative powers
such as were never heretofore con-
ferred upon any administrative oncer
in this country or any other anglo
Saxon country, and which, II con,
ferred by the parliament OF Eneiano
upon the king and his minister's
would, under their summary method.
result in an instant overthrow OF the
government"
- : DeAnition OF Principle.
"This section of the BILL" the
speaker continued, &"undoubtedly
gives the definition Of the principle
upon which rates are made ana u
is the difference in conditions of COM
petition in trade. Not TO eo6alize dlf-
ferences based on cost of production
here and abroad; not to equalize an
ferences based on cost plus a rea-
sonable profit equally accorded TO
the domestic producer and the for
eien producer; not to equalize diff
ferences In intrinsic value at an;
but to measure the differences In
competition in trade-that is, to nx
q rate which will bring up the for-
eigners price to the price at whGn zen
the American producer sells nus
product. in the American market
without any reference to what part
of that price represents production
cost and how much of it represents
Senator Simmons said the bill was
"based primarily onsthree erroneous
assumptions Of facts.
THAT present importations are ex-
cessive and a menace to the business
Of the country.
Declared NatieAdl Danger.
.That the home selling price and
the export selling price OF foreign
the ssnx ers e s.ss ssae
domestic products thar much higher
rates of duty than those of the pres
ent law are needed to bring about
fair and competitive condltlons.
That the export price OF foreign
merchandise as found in the investi-
cations and report Of the REYNOLDS COM
mission based upon such selling prices
IN August, 1921. has not changed since
that time, and are the same today
Summing up his address, which COW
cred forty typewrftten pages, Sena-
tor Simmons declared the tariff bill
was "fraught with more danger to
the people of the ceur,ry and the in
stitutions undef which we live than
any bill which ever crossed the
threshold Of this chamber"
"I suppose the bill will be passed.
he said passed not because il meets
the judgment of this body; passed not
because q majority of senators sub
scribe to the excessive rates imposed
on certain products Of general use, or
in the delegation of the extraordinary
powers to the executive, but passed
by a majority because a considerable
part of that majority are willing to
forego their opposition to what they
regard as unjust impositions upon the
people in order to get concessions for
those in whom they are interested"