The Bolivar County Democrat. (Rosedale, Miss.) 1887-1969, 1923-03-31
HARDING ORDERS
INQUIRY ON TARIFF
DIRECTS COMMISSION TO DETER
MINE If TARIFF is CAUSE.
MAY THEN LOWER ITS RATES.
Farm Bloc Leader Estimates Recent
Trend of Sugar Prices Costs Amer
lean People 500 o,ooo, 900 Annually
for Every Cent Advance.

ST. Augustine, characterization
by the United States tariff commits
sion into the relation of the tariff
rates on sugar to the present in
creased sugar prices was ordered by
President Harding. %
The inquiry was requested by the
president in the following telegram
addressed to Thomas O. Marvin,
chairman of the tariff commission:
"Have tariff commission make an
immediate inquiry into the relation
of the sugar tariff to the current
prices of that commodity 1t is diff
ficult to believe that the duty on
sugar can have any cart in making
the abnormal prices which prevail, but
if the commission finds there is any.
ground for believing the duty to be
even partially responsible, j shall be
ready to proclaim a reduction in su-
gar duties as provided by law"
The presidential order, it was ex-
planned will result in enlisting an
other official agency in the govern
ments endeavors to. ascertain respon-
sibility for the gra~ ~rIal increase in
sugar prices starting early in Febru-
ary, when sugar was selling at five
and six cents a pound retail, as COM
pared with present quotations rum
ming as high as IL cents.
The department of commerce for
several weeks has been studying the
sugar situation and several days ago,
acting Acknowledgement Seymour an
nounced in Washington, that the de-
partment of justice was making an
inquiry, which would continue until
responsibility was fixed.
Mr.. Harding was said to be firmly
determined that the government shall
do all in it's power not only TO pre-
vent further increases, but TO bring
down the present quoted prices should
they be found syyet' Ned. He gave
some attention to the Sugar situation
before leaving Washington and is un-
derstood to have mad several com
munications from various officials in
the capital on the subject since his ar
rival in Florida.
The president was represented as
unconvinced that the present Ford
ney-McCumber tariff rates of 1.76
cents pound on Cuban raw and 2.20
cents on other sugars, was to blame
for the increased prices which Sena-
to Ladd, Republican, Moth Dakota, in
a statement issued a few days ago,
said were costing the American peo-
pie at the rate of $9O.000,000 annually
for every cent advanced. AS his tele-
gram to Chairman Marvin asserted
however, he is willing should the
tariff commissions inquiry determine
that the tariff rates are even partial
ly the cause to utilize the flexible
provision of the present tariff act.
This provision allows the president
after an inquiry by the tariff COM
mission to lower or increase to the
extent of so per cent the duty on any
commodity Mr. Harding, it has been
said, regards the provision as one
of the wisest in the law and particu-
larly useful in such emergencies as
the present sugar price situation may
be found to be.
Direction of the sugar inquiry or
der to the tariff commission was only
one of number of matters gone over
by the president during an afternoon
devoted to work. The action taken
on other matters was not disclosed
and it was presumed that number
of them were of routine nature.