Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-23
SENATE APPROVES
OPIUM PENALTY
Rastores House Provision
to Tariff Bill for Stiff
Smuggling Fine.

~ the Associated Press.
The Senate today voted tn restore a
House provision to the tariff bill making
the owner of vessel, as we'll as the
master, subject to q penalty of $25 an
ounce for all smoking opium found un-
manifested on ship.
The Senate also turned down q COM
rnittee amendment to strike out House
provision to make the penalties conSti-
tute lien upon vessels, including COM
mon carriers.
The Senate finance committee also
apS2inted today a subcommittee to con-
sider$the form of tax information the
Tresxufy should compile for the use nf
~ Senators in the consideration Of the
tariff bill.
Unable TO Get Data.
Officials Of the Treasury contend 1t
would be impossible to produce all the
tax data originally requested by the
Senators relating to the financial condi-
ton of approximately 700 corporations
o. suficient time for use in the tariff
debate and without great expense.
Undersecretary Mills Of the Treasury
appeared again before the finance COM
mittee today, going over the items on
tax returns which he said the Treasury
can produce within a reasonable time
The subcommittee appointed con-
sistes Of Senators Smoot. Utah, and
Reed, Pennsylvania, Republicans, and
Simmons, North Carolina. and Harri-
son, Mississippi, Democrats.
Republican leaders in the Senate
faced q complicated situation today as
they approached vote on the highly
controversial administrative provisions
of the tariff bill.
They we're successful in their first
move to speed up the debate, calling to-
DAYS session an hour earlier than usual.
They were confronted. however, with
the claim of the Republican independ-
entS, organized under the leadership OF
Senator Borah of Idaho, to IA votes to
WELD as a balance of power between the
regular Republicans and the Democrats.
Attitude of Independents.
While the Republican independents
are claefiy concerned with their desire
cultural commodities, they are expected
to line up with the Democrats in favor
of repeal of the flexible tariff policy
written into the Fordney- McCumber act
seven years ago and provided for again
in the pending bill.
That policy has the approval of Presi-
dent Hoover, expressed in his message
at the beginning of the special session,
while the Democrats and some Re-
publicans of the regular as well as the
independent persuasion have attacked
IL on the ground that 1t delegates an
exclusively congressional function TO the
Chief Executive by permitting him 10
raise or lower imposts.
Troublesome Issue Cited.
Tn addition to that issue, two other
o,,tsta ndins points of controversy are
nresented in the administrative pro-
Visions of the bill-the question whether
tina President is to be given authority
tn reorgani2e the now bipartisan tarlII
Commission without regard to party
Tines. and the proposal to abandon Tor
eian valuations in favor OF more easily
obtainable domestic figures as basis
for ad valorem duties.
with that situation and the Re
publican independent organization In
mind. leaders Of both parties had little
time this morning to do anything ex-
cept sound out their adherents and line
them I'D for the votes to come. All
were practically certain, meanwhile,
that when the Senate reaches the con-
tested rate schedules. the Republican
independents would draw strong support
from the Democrats in efforts to pre-
vent advances in duties on industrial
commodities.