Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-24
Farm Machinery Equipment
Also Exempted From Meas
ure in Session Preceding
Members Final Decision.
MANY AMENDMENTS
OFFERED FROM FLOOR
Doughton Attacks Bill as Attempt
to Put Burden on Shoulders of
the Peoria Guardia's Charge
of Joker" Is Denied by Crisp.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

III W. OOULD LINCOLN.
The manufacturers sales tax
was Knocked out of the revenue
bill this afternoon.
Revolving Democrats and
Republicans, 223 in number, a
majority of the House. voted to
strike out the manufacturers
tax.
The vote for the tax was 1853.
The House, in committee of the
whole, this afternoon adopted the
Ways and Means Committee
amendment to the manufacturers
sales tax in the revenue bill, ex-
empting all foodstuffS, wearing
apparel, "eticar' medicines and
farm machinery.
Before the Ways and Means
Committee amendment was ADOPT
ed it had been amended by the
adoption of number of proposals
made by individual members on
the floor of the House.
Some of these additional ex-
emptions of the manufacturers
tax are merchant vessels con-
structed in American shipyards
under the terms of the Merchant
Marine act, fuel for home use, ice,
American flags, electric power
used In agriculture and malt strip
used in making malt extract.
Literally dozens of amendments
were popoSed from the floor. as
members sought to have indus
tries in their districts exempted
from the manufacturers tax.
Many OF these amendments were
voted down.
Doughton Attacks Bill.
After disposing of the WAYS and
Means Committee amendment offered
by Representative CriSt, the House
turned to a proposal of Representative
Doughton of North Carolina. a leader
OF the opponents of the manufacturers
sales tax, to strike out the first section
OF the manufacturers tax section. Mr..
Doughton addressed the House in sup
port OF the proposal and vigorously at
tackled the sales tax as a burden to be
Both sides of the contest were claim
Ing victory. A close vote was in pros
pect- One Democratic leader estimated
the sales tax would be supported in the
committee of the whole by 65 Demo-
Gratis and 125 Republicans, total of
100. Others insisted this estimate was
too high.
The Democratic leadership of the
House, which has met defeat in the
Ia t.fII
major votes in the committee of the
whole, was threatened with another
setback
Leaders Face Hard Task.
Unless Speaker Garner and Repre-
sentative Rainey, the Democratic floor
leader, and Representative Crisp, acting
chairman Of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, are able to keep a sufficient
number of Democrats in line, the wreck
of the party leadership in the conduct
of the revenue bill will have been
completed.
Such disaster to the Democratic
leadership OF the House probably would
have serious political repercussions.
Representative La Guardia sought to
nave unanimous consent to vote first
on the Crisp amendment on the manu-
facturers tax adjusting foodstuffs,
wearing apparel and farm machinery,
with the understanding that Immediate
ly afterward a vote would be taken on
the Doughton amendment striking out
the first section of the sales tax
Crisp Favors Plan.
Crisp expressed his sympathy with
the desire of La Guardia to expedite
showdown on the manufacturers tax.
He said, however, that he believed op-
portunity should be given to those menu
bers who desire to offer amendments
proposing further exemptions on the
manufacturers tax
Representative Smell of New York put
an end to the discussion, however, by
demanding the regular order
This was the consideration of the
Lehlbach amendment proposing to ex-
empt merchant vessels and their equip
ment manufactured in American ship
yards under the present Merchant
Marine act
The Lehlbach amendment was adopted
by a vote of 149 to las.
Mr.. Lehlbach, in support of his
amendment, pointed out that the Amer
lean Government has expended hun
dreds of millions of dollars in the last
IS years to develop the merchant
marine In it's efforts it has established
necessary trade routes and merchant
lines and has sold those merchant lines
under contract to maintain them. Mai
subsidies have been provided to aid the
merchant marine. Much of the money
used Mr. Lehlbach said has been for
reconstruction necessary to keep the
merchant marine lines in operation
After the Lehlbach amendment was
disposed of. Representative O'Connor of
New York proposed an amendment to
exempt from the manufacturers tax
malt Sirup used in making malt eX-
tracts. Representative Crisp announced
he had no objections to this amend
ment, and it was adopted.
Representative Glover of Arkansas
an amendment to exempt
from the tax electric power used for
agriculture purposes. He pleaded with
(Cnntin1Ied an, pace D Column 81