Evening star., 1930-06-08
Protests on Tariff
Bill Come Too Late
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

Pressure against passage of the tariff
bill as at present constituted is grow
ing, but that pressure does not seem to
be having any strong effect. Repre-
sentatives of various large industries
which sell their goods abroad are max
ing protests. But advocates of the bill
say the time for these protests has gone
by. They point out that months were
devoted to hearings on the tariff law
and on its various phases.
Many business men feel likewise
They may not approve the provisions of
the law. They may fear that its pas
sage will be followed by reprisals from
as many as 40 nations. But they also
feel that the tariff now is in about the
same position as was the prohibition
amendment. The real protests did not
come on the eighteenth amendment
they point out, until its supporters had
so fortified themselves that their po-
sition was impregnable.
The protest of the large manufac-
turers against the tariff bill has been
followed by equally strong defense OF
the measure and, in some cases, buSl-
ness men feel that this defense had dis
torted to a certain extent the attitude
of the manufacturers and exporters.
The opposition has been led by some
of the big automobile manufacturers
They hold that the tariff would tend to
reduce export to foreign countries. This
in turn would cut down the available
cash which might go toward purchase
Of American goods. Since foreign sales
Of automobiles in the last year amount
ed to IL to Is per cent of production,
this Is no small item.
ham
counter-attacked by supporters OF the
bill. It has been charged on the floor
of the House that some manufacturers
are fighting the bill because they want
to bring goods made in their foreign
factories into this country to compete
with American-made goods.
Representative KnutSon OF Mime
sofa openly charged that big business
wanted free and unrestricted commerce
between nations and named a number
of prominent companies and executives
which. he said, were working to de-
feat the bill in order to foster compe-
tition of foreign goods with American
products. He said they wanted TO
manufacture in cheap markets. He
named General Motors and Ford with
automobile factories abroad, the pack
ers with meat plants in Argentina, Gen
eral Electric with plants abroad ana
American concerns with shoe factories
in CZechoslovakia.
The manufacturers assert that this
charge is abSurd-that their sole de-
sire is to sell the products OF their
foreign factories abroad and that to
bring back goods to compete in this
country would be hitting themselves on
their own noses. What they fear is
that the bill will bring reprisals and
check the sale of American goods in
nearly all the best markets OF the
world. They assert that to send parts
abroad, assemble them there and bring
back finished machines to compete In
American markets is economically un-
sound.
All goods on the dutiable and free
lists established by the bill will be sub
ject to its provisions, unless otherwise
specified, on the day following enact
ment of the bill Provided the bill is
passed and approved by the President,
all future importations and some pre-
vious importations, including goods IN
bonded warehouses, will become sub
ject to the operation of the new sched-
ules, according to the Tariff Commis-
sion. Importers in possession of goods
previously brought into the country,
but for which no entry has been made,
or which are under bond in ware
houses, with no permit or delivery
having been issued, will be affected.
Goods in transit or contracted for under
the same conditions also come under
the provisions of the measure. It Is
pointed out that the bill has been
pending for q SUFFICIENT length of time
to permit consigpees with goods in
storage to compiler the foEmalittes OF