Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17
Tariff Battle Now Near

! finance committee fer several weeks
| Judging by the course OF previous tariff
enactments, and when it is reported to
| the Senate will be amended in many
! respects.
The rewriting in the finance COM
mittee in all reasonable likelihood will
be followed by another in the open
Senate and by third revision in con-
ference committee of the two houses
Just what it will be like when that
stage is reached, and what will be the
scope of the revision, is something
which no person can prophesy with
anything like accuracy.
Senate Expected to Alter Bill.
What is entirely clear, however, is
that while the Senate cannot originals
a tariff bill under the Constitution, the
Constitution gives it unlimited right of
amendment and it will exercise that
right as it has always done. The his
tory of tariff bills is that the Senate
finance committee has revised the
House bill and the Senate has once
more rewritten it. Then, in conference
the differences between Senate and
House have been composed. There is
no reason to doubt that the new tariff
measure will take substantially the
same course as have its predecessors.
One of the members OF the finance
committee is Senator David A. Reed of
Pennsylvania. Senator Reed is one of
the foremost Republican members of
the committee. While he has not yet
attained that pinnacle of influence in
Senate affairs that was occupied by the
late Boies Penrose, he is a factor that
must be reckoned with in tariff re-
vision. Senator Reed, backed by the
demands Of powerful industries in his
own State and other States in the East.
will demand many increases in rates.
In effect. he will ask general revision.
Industrial States to Bring Pressure.
Supporting Senator Reed will be
other Senators representing great in
dustrial centers. 1t is a safe guess that
when the tariff measure finally reaches
the statute books it will to a consider
able extent meet their wishes 1t is
heartily to be imagined that Congress is
going to pass a tariff measure that
boosts agricultural rates all along the
line but contains only few readJust-
ments of rates demanded by the in
dustries
Those who are now predicting that
Congress will rush through a tariff
measure, as we'll as farm relief. in a
little while and adjourn in June are
likely to be disappointed. Saying moth
ing of the possibilities of controversy
over farm relief, it is not overstating
the case to say the tariff is loaded with
high explosives.
Predicts Protracted Deliberation.
The tariff bill cannot be rushed
through by any cut and dried formula.
It probably will require month OF
discussion in the Senate and perhaps
even more, and it will in all reasonable
likelihood be late in July or early in
August before the extra session can
complete the measure and adjourn. Not
few well advised leaders believe the
extra session will run until Fall. and
for this view they have no lack OF
presidents.
without attempting to go into the
many phases of the new tariff measure
which will provoke controversy such
subjects as the proposed tariff on hides,
the tariffs on vegetable oils and the
textile rates will excite great conten-
ton.
The flexible tariff and the Tariff
Commission will be subjects Of contro-
versy. The subject of American valua-
ton or foreign valuation will once more
have to be thrashed out. Many intri-
cate questions relating to administration
Of the law will have to be considered.
May Alter Administrative Features.
1t is not unlikely that Congress will
undertake important changes in the law
relating to the flexible tariff and the
Tariff Commission. When the present
| provisions as to the commission and
| the flexible tariff were written into the
law in the 1922 act, much glowing
prophecy was heard that the resultant
statute would provide a really scientific
tariff; that the tariff at last would be
removed from politics and administered
on the basis of the difference in the
cost of production here and abroad.
Nothing of the kind has come to pass.
| The flexible tariff law and the Tariff
| Commission provisions have satisfied
neither high tariff men nor low tariff
men. Just now, there is serious talk in
Congress of providing that tariff COM
mission shall be maintained, but that 1t