Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-11-13
'MOREDELAYIS
PREDICTED ON
ONION TARIFF
Garner Believes Action
BY Congress Offers
Only Relief For Tex
as Growers

The opinion that South Texa.
onion growers will not be able to Sc.
cure an increase in tariff rates
through the tariff commission, and
tnat any increase must come through
1et OF congress. was expressed By
Congressman John N. Garner in /;
recent letter 10 The Brownsville
herald, in which he reviewed .hy
efforts made to secure protection
LOT the South Texas product.
Inc tariff commission has had the
onion tariff under investigation for
more than two years. In a recent
letter 10 Thomas q. Marvin. head 81
the commission, Representative Gar
ner called his attention to the fact,
1T would seem that so far as the
proposed increase Of tariff on onions
Is concerned, the commission M
longer functions, and we might as
well have no commission Garner
said.
In his reply TO the Texas congress
man. Mr.. Marvin stated that consid-
cradle data Remained to be collected
Ut added that "the final report
upon onions is actively before tho
commission" Following is the text
Of his reply:
This is one OF a number OF sub
jects, principally r-~n agricultural
products, upon which the commission
expects TO complete reports 10 the
president az an early date. The more
important Of these subjects which
have been actively before the com
mission during the current year are.
IN addition to onions. milk and
cream, peanuts, flaxseed, potatoes
tomatoes, eggs and egg products. AMI
corn. A total Of about three thou
sand individual farm cost records
has been obtained in these investiga-
tons in addition to many hundred
marketing and processing cost rec
ords, such as those for grain eleva-
tors, peanut shelters. milk and cream
stations, and egg freezing plants.
Public hearings have been held IN all
cases except flaxseed and potatoes,
and n flaxseed hearing is set for
December 5.
Statement Prepared
"For use AZ each public hearing
the commission prepares a prelimi-
nary statement Of information, sum-
marizing the results OF the invesJi-
CATION TO date. You will recall from
your appearance at the hearing that
the preliminary statement Of lnfor-
nation respecting onions was quite
comprehensive, occupying more than
one hundred typewriter pages. The
detailed cost and other data set forth
BIZ the commission in that statement
alone would probably Justify the
time and expense expended upon
onions. from the point Of view OF in
formation for the use az the con
gress in future tariff legislation.
'The statement of information, and
the public hearing, presented many
difficult questions concerning the
proper duty upon onions under the
legal requirements Of section 3i5.
Not only are there many varieties Of
onions produced in the United States,
but the bulk Of the imports differ in
important respects from most OF the
J domestic production. Onions from
Spain, probably the principal COM
peting country within the meaning
of the law. are carefully selected
with respect to size and shape, and
packed in expensive packages. They
sell for n much higher price than
most domestic onions. The commits
sion was not able to get costs Of pro-
duction directly from the producers
in Spain, and as evidence or foreign
costs, invoice prices were used. II
is obviously not an accurate compar-
ison to use the invoice price Of the
carefully selected, large sized Span
ish onion, against the domestic cost
OF production OF fieldrun onions, IN
bags. During 1927, for example, the
average wholesale price In New
York. duty paid, of imported Spanish
onions known as SOS in crates was
$500 per hundred pounds. Egyptian
onions in the same year, in the sam
market, averaged $3.54 per hundred
pounds. Domestic New York Fellows
for the same period averaged only
st9S per hundred pounds IN New
York. Texas Bermudas for the sea-
son Of 1927 averaged $3.50, and do-
nestle Spanish onions. the nearest
comparable grade to the imported
Spanish. averaged in Chicago, dur
ing Is n, Sl.59 per hundred pounds.
packing Cost Considered
assuming that market prices re-
fleet to a considerable extent dit-
ferences in quality and methods "
hacking Of the various types Of
onions sold, it is clear that the cost
~ the domestic onions cannot be
fairly compared with invoice prices
~ imported onions without some adj
iustments being made for differences
the conditions under which they
Fre marketed.
aAs you will recall from the pre-
iiminary statement of information,
entirely different results are OBJ
tanned when imported onions are
compared with domestic Bermudas
than when they are compared with
domestic Spanish, or strong winter
,vnes Of onions. A representative Of
. he commission is now in Utah. re-
&ehecking certain information IN re-
card to packing and marketing Of do
nestle Spanish types, and II IS posi-
hls that the results Of the investiga-
.;on will hinge upon the extent to
which certain types are found TO be
~eomparable and competitive with I'M
,orted onions. both with respect 70
Their physical characteristics, and
,hsir methods Of packing.
"The final report upon onions IS
actively before the commission, and
:, will be completed and sent TO the
nrss3dent as soon as the commission
Relieves il presents reliable and ac-
s,rate cost comparisons for the va
~;c,,s types of onions, both domestic
srd imported, delivered IN the prin-