Evening star., 1923-03-18
CONFLICT AS TO POLICY
IN TARIFF COMMISSION
President Harding Called Upon to Decide
How ''Elastic'' Investigations
Shall Be Undertaken.

investigation of the differences in
costs of production of articles
shall find it thereby shown that the
duties fixed in this act do not equal
ize the said differences" he may pro-
claim the changes within the SO per
cent limit. Further, the law says:
investigations to assist the President
in ascertaining differences in costs of
production under this section shall be
made by the United States Tariff Com
mission. and no proclamation shall
be issued under this section until
such investigation shall have been
made"
Inquiry to Go on.
Since the President called a halt,
for the time being. on the Culbertson
program. the commission has gone
ahead with the idea that 1t would
investigate some of the schedules in
regard to which applications have
been made for relief. In fact, an an
nouncement of a program for the
schedules to be investigated is ex-
pected at any time. This may include
an investigation of the sugar sche-
dule, for applications for relief from
the sugar duties have been filed
But 1t will not include, 1t is said,
any of the proposed inquiries into
schedules in regard to which no ap-
plications have been filed, but which
1t was proposed the commission
should look into on it's own initiative,
including pottery and manufactures
of wool.
1t may be mentioned in this con-
nection that one of the rules adopted
by the commission after the execu-
tive order of the President last Oc-
tober, putting the whole matter Of
receiving applications and adopting
rules for Investigations into the COM
missions hands, was as follows:
IAN investigation may be ordered
by the commission under section 3l5
or 3l6 (the elastic tariff section)
upon the initiative of the commission
or upon application"
The latest move apparently would
nullify this rule, in so far as it re-
lates to the initiative of the COM
mission.
But 1t is clear that this course will
not permanently prevent the investi-
cation OF the pottery or wool sche-
dulles. The filing of applications for
investigation of schedules under the
rules adopted, may be by any person.
partnership, corporation or associa-
ton" Ii, as 1t now appears, an appli-
needed n
inquiry into tariff schedules. and
public spirited associations-or indi-
Northumberland this, it may be
expected the necessary applications
will not be long in materializing.
Various reports have been spread
that there will be a shake up in the
personnel of the Tariff Commission
when the President returns, that
either the chairman or the vice
chairman would go. 1t is understood
that Vice Chairman Culbertson, who
has been most anxious to have the
commission get underway In the per-
formance of it's duties under the elias
tic tariff provision of the law, will
take part in the investigations-made
upon application-which the commits
sion is about to order, although he
has taken the position that the whole
matter of the procedure Of the com
mission will have to be settled upon
the return to Washington of the
President.
Congress Provided Funds.
President Harding has been a strong
~ "a a1o
vision of the new law. He urged It
upon Congress repeatedly. He has
praised it's adoption since the law
was enacted. Many of the leaders in
the Senate and House and high Off
cials of the administration have IA
vored 1t. Congress appropriated $780,
900 in deficiency bill to be used for
the remainder of the present fiscal
year by the Tariff Commission In
carrying out the provision Of law,
and for the fiscal year 1924 provided
another 100000. None of the def
cheney appropriation has yet been
expended.
Supporters of the Culbertson pro-
gram scout the idea that the COM
mission in adopting it planned to
throw the republican tariff law into
the discard, or to tear it wide open,
as has been charged. The consumma-
ton Of the Investigations proposed, it
Is said, would have brought about
the expenditure Of only 100000 of all
the money made available by Con-
CESS for this work. and would have
gone to only forty paragraphs out
of the more than 1900 in the tariff