Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-20
WOOD HITS BACK
AT TARIFF CRITICS
Canada Figures Quoted by
Representative and Sena-
tor George Twitted.

Representative Will Wood. chairman
paign Committee, yesterday hit back at
Democratic critics of the new tariff
law. Singing out a statement issued
through the Democratic National Com
mittee by Senator George of Georgia
in which the Senator said that the
tariff law was responsible for 1.-The
costly curtailment of American bust
ness in Canada" and that the DO
minion is masSing reprisal guns" Mr.,
Wood declared that:
Few persons on either side of the
International boundary line seem to APP
preciate the fact that the Canadian
tariff actually Is and has been higher
in many instances than the American
tariff"
Mr. Wood pointed out that Canada
on her total imports from the United
States in 1922 levied tariff on all but
% per cent. The United States, he
said, admitted 60.05 per cent of all
imports from Canada free of duty.
Senator George Twitted.
Mr.. Wood also twitted Senator
had voted for increased duties on cat
tie and on casein, both products which
are imported from Canada in large
quantities. Mr.. Wood continued:
Senator George, in his statement,
comments on our considerable trade
with Canada, asserting that a large
part of 1t consists of automobiles we
export to that country. BY offending
Canada in raising our tariff rates
though he neglected to mention the
rates on cattle and casein among them
49, A
American automobile manufacturing
industry stands out as a shining target
for Canada's reprisal fire.
1T might have been wiser on Sen
ator Georges part had he learned
something about American and Cana
dian tariffs on automobiles before
speaking.
I'm the Fordney- McCumber tariff act
OF 1922 We provided a IS per cent ad
valorem duty on automobiles, bodies,
chaSseS. motor cycles and parts thereof,
not including tires, with the require
ment that If any country imposed a
higher duty on the articles specified,
our duty on similar imports from that
country would be raised to that higher
figure. This Is what Is known as a
countervailing duty, many of which
Canada has put into her new tariff.
Reductions Are Shown.
an the Hawley-Smoot act. we have
retained at IS per cent ad valorem only
on automobile trucks valued at 81 900
or more, on truck and motor bus
chassis valued at $3.50 or more, truck
bodies valued at $3.50 or more, and
motor BUSES designed for the carriage
OF more than 10 persons. But we have
reduced to 10 per cent ad valorem the
duty on all other automobiles, auto
mobile chassis. and automobile bodies
and motor cycles and likewise have
re-enacted the countervailing duty.
Nov, let us see what Canada does.
Under her old and new tariffs. Canada
levies a duty of 20 per cent ad valorem
on all automobiles valued at $1,000 OF
less, and of 27la per cent on all cost
ing more than $1,000 In addition there
is a sales tax of / per cent--it was
per cent before May-and on top OF
that an excise tax Of per cent on the
lower priced machines and Of 10 pei
cent on the higher priced
"Thus a 81, 500 American car sold
in Canada pays first a duty of S4l250
a sales tax OF SIS and an excise tax OF
$3.50, so that the total cost of the ma
chine would be $2,077.50 But foreign.
made car-Canadian or French OF
British or what have you--priced al
$500 has entered the United States
heretofore with but one charge, the
duty of Is per cent, amounting x
1915, making the total cost $i,S75."