Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-28
RUSSIAN ECONOMIC
PLAN IS STUDIED
Treasury Department to De-
termine Application of Tariff
to Soviet Goods.
BY WILLIAM BRUCKART.

With the German economic crisis
alleviated for the moment Ogden l..
Mills. Acting Secretary of the Treasury.
has begun to read up on Russia. prep
aratory to dealing with problem aris-
ing under the tariff act of 1880.
There is a provision In the tariff act
that prohibits importation Of merchan-
disc. manufactured wholly or in part
by forced or indentured labor. 1t be-
comes operative automatically on Janu-
ary l, 1882, and it's troublesome char
acter already is recognized at the Treas
ury. for there is much preliminary work
in the shape of policies and regulations
to be laid out.
No longer tied up literally day and
night in White House conferences on
the German situation. Mr.. Mills this
week is familiarizing himself with the
details that are necessary to an under
standing of Russian methods, because
as the Treasury learned in enforcement
of provisions barring convict-made
goods, Russia enters this new picture.
The Acting Secretary, who is under
secretary and in general charge when
Secretary Mellon is not at his desk, is
faced with drafting the regulations to
carry out the forced labor sections as
we'll as the Treasury policies regarding
them.
Studies Russian Economics.
It is a delicate job. He recognizes
that. and has consulted with several au-
thorities on Russia: Moreover. 1t was
stated officially today, he has invited
several outstanding experts on Russia
to supply him with young library of
volumes devoted to Russian economic
policies and activities. From these he
hopes to acquaint himself with the vari-
Gus slantS available as to what the Rus
slams are doing and how they are
doing It,
The tariff act provisions which have
caused this study are contained in sec
ton BOT, wherein it is stated that "all
goods. wares, articles and merchandise,
mined. produced or manufactured
wholly or in part in any foreign coun-
try by forced labor and tor) in
dentured labor under penal sanctions
shall not be entitled to entry" Further,
the section, after fixing January l, 1882,
as the effective date, defines forced
labor" as meaning all work or service
which is exacted from any person under
the menace of any penalty for its nom
performance and for which the worker
does not offer himself voluntarily
Interpretation and enforcement of
that language as it stands obviously
present plenty of potential trouble. but
Congress gave the Treasury and its
Bureau of Customs additional work to
do in connection with the forced or
indentured labor clause. by specifying
that the prohibition shall not be oper
alive. If there is not sufficient output
of any commodity to meet the con-
sumptive demand" within the United
States Thus, the Treasury has to
measure the market. a purely domestic
matter that Is burdened with Just as
much deiicacy as the international
phases of deciding when a foreign
made product is not entitled to entry.
The Bureau of Customs has found
lately that every time Soviet-made goods
were presented for entry at the Gus
tom houses, domestic interests chal-
lenged the shipment as the product of
convict labor. A policy finally was
ey olved.
Now shipments from Russia are al
lowed to enter this country providing it
is shown that they originated south of
so degrees north latitude. When that
fact cannot be shown. the burden is
placed on the consignor to show that
convict labor did not enter in any way
into production of the consignment.
Forced Labor.
On top of this. aft.r January l will
come determine ton OF whether the ship
ment was produced wholly or in part
by forced or indentured labor as defined
, by law. OF course. Russia is not the
only country which will have to be con-
sidered. But some of the other countries