Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-09-08

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Rio Grande Valley Tariff commit
tee, In the following article explains
the attitude of the Valley toward
the tariff measure about 10 be en-
acted by congress and tells why the
committee has seen fit TO take such
action as it has on having IL altered,
and provisions vital to the Valley in
cluded:
Figures won't lie" according to
an ancient statement which was
mite before the modern crop OF sta
tisticians and economists. not 70 say
politicians. came on the stage. In the
sense in which 1t was first made,
the statement is still true, but Sc
1ected figures about the pending tar
If bill can be made to tell things
far from true. That IS what is hap
pening Just % in some tariff dis
cussions in the local newspapers.
The Senate traiff bill IS probably
some steps removed from the kind
Of a bill that partisan representa-
tives Of any particular industry or
section would write. and u IS stu
subject to some changes. III the bill
was fully approved by any single
group 1t would be pretty conclusive
evidence that such group received
biased consideration.
Political Bunk
General statements such as are
being made in criticism Of this bill
are mostly political bunk. General
statements which purport TO give
what the average tomato grower
will benefit and what he will lose
by the enactment OF the law do not
mean q thing. General averages do
rot mean q thing 10 any individual
at any time. The statement that this
bill will cost the average family
$50 per year per capita does not
mean a thing 10 the farmer in the
Valley who is growing tomatoes.
Some rates are lowered. and some
are raised in the bill. Some raises
will be effective. and others may
not. Some OF the lowered rates VIII
be effective. and others may not.
There are many factors which oper-
ate before the tariff will affect
either selling prices of what the
farmer sells, or buying prices OF
what he. or any one else. buys.
Vic tllAkAA - Ia AAnAN AAAA AA4
Is that the rates Of duty which have
been written into the bill on the
fruits and vegetables which are, or
may be, produced in the Rio Grande
Valley and in Florida competition,
and should, under reasonable condi-
tons Of production and distribution,
raise the price 10 the producer about
as much as the rates Of duty writ
ten into the bill. or these rates. that
on tomatoes is the most important.
It may be slightly reduced in the
senate committee report from &c TO
21-2c per pound. This decrease
should be wiped out and the house
rate of three cents put back.
Partisan Enemies
Importers efforts TO get a sea-
sonal low rate for December. Janu-
airy. and February in the Senate re-
port failed. except as to egg plants
and cucumbe-s. These efforts TO get
seasonal low rates were direct at
tesIs on our southern fruit and pro-
duce Industries and il took hard
work IN Washington. by friends Of
the bill. not By its enemies, TO pro-
tect our interest.
Every producer OF tomatoes or
Of other vegetables affected by the
rates in the bill. has a direct stake
in seeing the bill passed. The bene-
fits from these rates accrue to ev-
cry grower, every year. a constant
benefit which the policy Of a pro-
tectiye tariff on southern apricul-
tural products confcrS upon him. II
other parts OF the bill can be inn
proved. We should help in doing that.
The partisan enemies Of the bill
here in Texas are now making two
kinds Of attack on the bill TO pre-
JUDGE the Valley farmers against Il,
One is that Ii will increase the cost
Of living to everyone Thirty dol
lars per capita and that this will
more than wipe out the benefit 70
come from the rates on tomatoes
and other fruits and vegetables we
grow here. The other is that the
increased cost OF living Will prevent
the industrial people living in the
cities from being able to buy our to-
matoes..
Farm Implements Free
such general statements are sub
ject to three criticisms they may
not be true az an, they certainly are
not true as to many individual cases
and in particular they are not true
as to our Valley people here.
The tomato grower here is not
penalized in any important particu-
lar in this bill. The bill decreases
the tariff on manufactures Of metal,
in which class tools and machinery
come. In fact. farm machinery now