Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-03
CONFEREES BEGIN
HUGE TARIFF Job
ReconciIing 1850 Disputes
Problem as Bill Moves Into
Final Stage.

BY the Associated Press.
The stupendous task of bringing the
House and Senate into agreement upon
the 1850 disputed points of the tariff
bill was taken in hand today by con-
ference committees representing the two
branches Of Congress.
The measure, now more than a year
in the making, moved into another and
a final stage Of its progress toward
enactment, and the oratorical tumult
that has attended its formulation was
replaced by the quiet of a committee
room from which the public was barred.
Six major disputes confronted the
conferees, all Of which they are to bring
back to their respective houses for rec
ord votes before a final agreement is
reached. On the remainder Of the con-
troverted points the work of the con-
ference consisted in arriving at COM
promise figures between the rates ap-
proved by the House and those written
into the bill by the Senate.
Bound by Agreement.
The House conferees were bound by
gentleman's agreement to come to no
decision on sugar, cement, lumber and
shingle rates without first seeking the
advice of the chamber as a whole. A
similar understanding prevented the
Senate's representatives from relin-
gushing its amendments to the admin
istrative provisions, embodying in the
bill the export debenture farm relief
nj ND he
thority to alter tariff rates, vested in
hun by the flexible provisions of the
law now in force.
Chairman Smoot of the Senate
finance committee was in charge of the
conference group representing his
branch Of Congress and Chairman
Hawley of the ways and means COM
mittee held the corresponding position
among the House conferees.
Otherwise, the conference committee
consisted of the two ranking members
of each political party on the finance
and ways and means committees. These
were Senators Watson of Indiana and
Shortridge of California, Republicans,
and Simmons of North Carolina and
Harrison of Mississippi, Democrats, and
for the House, Representatives Tread
way of Massachusetts, and Bacharach
of New Jersey, Republicans, and Gar
Democrats.
Adoption of Rule.
The conferees were appointed yester-
day after the House had adopted a
rule submitting all Senate amendments
to arbitration in conference, with no
separate votes beforehand. This form
of procedure was approved, 241 to 153,
in a vote which found II Democrats
casting their ballots with 277 Repub-
licans in favor of the rule. Nineteen
Republicans, 1873 Democrats and the
one Farmer-Labor member voted
against adoption.
The action of the Senate came after
a brief discussion. It. had been 1ndl-
Gated that the old Democratic 1noe-
pendent Republican coalition, which 1or
six months was in command OF the
tariff situation in the Senate, might
seek representation in the conference,
but a move to bring this about OLD not
develop. It was the coalition that wrote
the export debenture plan ana the
revocation Of presidential tar1n autnor-
ity amendments into the PHI.
Senator Watson, Republican leader,
said last night that in the course of
the tariff debate a total of 1,010 Demo-
cratic votes had been cast for increased
rates, or against decreases, while the
Democrats sought to screen their own
actions behind curtain of propaganda
smoke"
Referring to assaults of the Senate
tariff bill emanating from the Demo-
cratic propaganda bureau under the
names of individual Senators" he said
it was illuminating" to examine the
votes cast by these Senator's.