Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-16
az the Associated Press.

1
ment on the tariff bill follows:
| "I shall approve the tariff bill. This
| legislation has now been under a most
| continuous consideration by Congress
for nearly Is months. 1t was under
| taken as the result of pledges given
! by metropolitan party at Kansas City
Its declarations embraced these obliga-
/ tons
THE Republican party believes that
| the home market built up under the
/ protective policy belongs to the Amer
! lean farmer and it pledges its support
of legislation which will give this mar
ket to him to the full extent of his
ability to supply it. "
Promises Must Not Be Gestures.
There are certain industries which
| cannot now successfully compete with
foreign producers because of lower for
eign wages and lower cost of living
abroad, and we pledge the next Re-
publican Congress to an examination
and where necessary a revision of these
schedules, to the end that the American
labor in these industries may again
command the home market, may main
tain its standard of living and may
count upon steady employment in its
accustomed field
Platform promises must not be
empty gestures. In my message Of
April Is, 1929, to the special session of
the Congress accordingly recon-
mended an increase in agricultural pro-
lection, a limited revision of other
schedules to take care of the economic
changes necessitating increases or de-
creases since the enactment of the 1922
law, and l further recommended a re-
organization both of the Tariff Com
mission and OF the method OF executing
the flexible provisions.
Duties Are Compared.
"A statistical estimate of the bill by
the Tariff Commission shows that the
average duties collected under the 1922
law were about 1913 per cent of the
value of all imports, both free and duti-
able, while If the new law had been
applied 1t would have increased this
percentage to about Is per cent.
This compares with the average
level of the tariff under the Mckinley
law of % per cent, the Wilson law of
20.9 per cent, the Dingley law of 25.8
per cent, the Payne Aldrich law of
1913 per cent and the Fordney- McCum-
Der law of 1888 per cent.
Under the Underwood law of 1913
the amounts we're disturbed by war con-
ditions, varying per cent to 14.8 per
cent
The proportion OF imports which will
be free of duty under the new law is
estimated at from 81 to SO per cent.
This compares with averages under the
Mckinley law of 52.4 per cent, the Will
son law Of 49.4 per cent, the Dingley
law of ASP per cent, the Payne-Aldrich
law of SIS per cent and the Fordney-
McCumber law OF 6S.S per cent.
Increases Favor Farmer.
Under the Underwood law of 1918,
disturbed conditions varied the free list
from so per cent to 10 per cent, averag-
ing 66.3 per cent.
The increases in tariff are largely
directed to the interest of the farmer.
OF the increases, 1t is stated by the
Tariff Commission that 1913 per cent
are upon products of agricultural
origin measured in value as distin-
guished from 6.25 per cent upon COM
modities of strictly non-agricultural
origin. The average rate upon agri-
cultural raw materials shows an in
crease from 1910 per cent to 1892 per
cent in contrast to dutiable articles of
strictly other than agricultural origin
which show an average increase of from
31.02 per cent to 34.31 per cent.
Compensatory duties have necessarily
been given on products manufactured
from agricultural raw materials and
protective rates added to these in some
instances.
THE extent Of rate revision as in
Dictated by the Tariff Commission is
that in value of the total imports the
duties upon approximately 22.5 per cent
have been increased, and IT'S per cent
were untouched or decreased. BY num-
Der of the dutiable items mentioned in
the bill, out of the total of about $500
there were about $50 increased, 235 de-
creased, and 2,170 untouched. The
number of items increased was, there
fore, 81 per cent of all dutiable items,
and compares with 80 per cent of the
number of items which were increased
in the 1929 revision.
Like Other Tariff Legislation.
This tariff law is like all other
tariff legislation, whether framed pri-
marily upon protective or a revenue
basis. 1t contains many compromises
between sectional interests and between
different industries. No tariff bill has
ever been enacted or ever will be en-
acted under the present system that
VIII be perfect. A large portion of the
items are always adjusted with good
Judgment, but it is bound to contain
some inequalities and inequitable COM
promises. There are items upon which
AASASO VIZ PlONC wv IllSIl dIlu OLIleTS
upon which duties will prove to be too
low.
Certainly no President, with his
other duties, can pretend to make that
exhaustive determination of the COM
pick facts which surround each of these
$500 items, and which has required
the attention of hundreds of men in
Congress for nearly year and a third
That responsibility must rest upon the
Congress in a legislative rate revision
ON the administrative side / have
insisted, however, that there should be
created a new basis for the flexible
tariff, and it has been Incorporated in
this law. Thereby the means are estab-
lished for objective and judicial review
OF those rates upon principles laid down
by the Congress, free from pressures
inherent in legislative action. Thus. the
outstanding stop of this tariff leeisla-
ton has been the reorganization of the
largely imperative flexible provision of
1922 into form which should render
IL possible to secure prompt and scien-
tlnc adjustment of serious ineuuities
ana inequalities which may prove to
nave been incorporated in the bill,
Importance Is Greater.
This new provision has even a larger
Importance. II a perfect tariff Bill
were enacted today, the increased
| rapidity Of economic change and the
constant Si1ifting of our relations to
industries abroad, will create a con-
| tinuous stream of items which would
work hardship upon some segment of