Evening star., 1933-10-29
Hull, Woodin and Roper Sign
Report Proposing Revision
of BOdy'S Work.
PERSONNEL AND POLICY
TOUCHED IN PROPOSALS S
Agency Held vitality Useful in Re-
covery Program and in Ex-
ports Upbuilding.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,

Recommendations for the strength.
ening and to some extent the revamp-
ing of the United States Tariff COM
mission have been laid before Presi.
dent Roosevelt by the heads Of three
executive departments.
Joining In the report are Secretary
Hull Of the State Department, Secre-
tary Woodin Of the Treasury Depart
ment and Secretary Roper OF the De.
partment Of Commerce. Some Of the
members of the Tariff Commission were
consulted in regard to the report which
has now been transmitted to the Presi-
dent.
The Tariff Commission is to loom
large as an aid to the administration
in the protection of American manu-
facturers, of American labor and Of
American farmers, under the opera
tloS Of the N. R, A. and the Agricul.
tual Adjustment Administration.
VIII Aid State Department.
In addition as the administration
proceeds with its plans for the writing
Of reciprocal agreements and trade
treaties between the United States and
other individual nations, and later with
multilateral trade agreements, the
State Department will lean heavily on
the Tariff Commission for full infor-
nation.
The prospects at present are for no
general revision of the tarih act now in
effect by Congress when it meets this
iYYfa ne
given the President full authority to act
to protect American producers and la
Dor in the event the domestic recovery
program is threatened, or any individual
industry is threatened, by imports from
foreign nations or by the dumping Of
cheap goods into this country.
Under these circumstances the out
look is for action by the executive
rather than by the legislative branch Of
the Government for the protection Of
American products and labor, for the
eventual removal Of trade barriers, and
for the extension Of American foreign
trade.
The Tariff Commission must at into
this picture and become the active In
vestigating agency for the State Depart
ment, the Department Of Commerce.
the N. r. A. the A. A. A. and for the
President himself. In the past the COM
mission has been more active as an in
vestigating agency for the Congress, al
though under the so-called flexible pro-
visions of the Smoot-Hawley tariff act
it has made number Of investigations
and has submitted reports to the Pres
ident. By those provisions the Presi-
dent Is authorized to lower or raise by
| not more than SO per cent the tariff
duties levied on imported articles, after
investigation and report to the Pres
| ident.
Strong Men Advocated.
The President has been urged, II Is
understood. in the report now before
him for consideration. to obtain the
services of the strongest and ablest
men possible for membership In the
Tariff Commission 1t has been con-
tended in some quarters that the Tariff
Commission has been made to often the
| haven of lame ducks" who have lost
| out in their efforts to be returned to
Congress.
Consideration has also been given.
| it is understood. to the reduction in
the number Of members Of the COM
mission. bringing it down from six ia
! four, or even to a smaller number
/ While it has been suggested in the
past that the commission might well
become part Of the Department Of
Commerce, with q single executive
| head. it is not understood that the re-
! port before the President calls for ths
| transfer Of the commission to that de-
| partment. but that it will remain an
| independent, non-partisan commission,
| and II the number of commissioners is
reduced from six to four. there will be
two Democrats and two Republican
members.
| Shake-up to Be Deferred.
Although there have been reports ia
the effect that there was dissatisfaction
with some Of the members of the Tariff
Commission, and some of them may
have to go If and when the President
follows out the recommendations now
submitted to him. 1t was reported yes.
terday that there might be no irnme-
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