Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-08-06
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National Topics Interpreted "a 441A @@@MRal
by William Bruckart fn1ala[&
I'M Washington, D. C.

COlI1pdIly O1l1O11os GACAC 10 q VIII
viction in many quarters that Mr..
Lewis might well pause to consider
whether this is the time to carry
forward his program of bringing
steel workers under national labor
union control. There are those who
believe that the company unions
eventually will become units in the
larger labor structure of the coun-
try and, if that be true, it is made
to appear that Mr.. Lewis has hurt
labor's cause.
On the other hand, the steel in
dustry already is under attack by
the government. Mr.. Roosevelt
suddenly "cracked down" on some
of the major companies recently,
charging them with collision in
bids on government work. He
came out with this charge at a
time which undoubtedly will stiffen-
the backbone of the union agita-
tors-and it is not unlikely that by
the same token he has stiffened
the resistance which the steel COM
panies will, use.
Yet, it does seem that the steel
companies made fatal mistake in
the announcement they have is
sued. There are too many people
who will be inclined to believe that.
the steel companies have taken adj
vantage of an apparent assurance
of collapse of federal supervision.
There are few who believe that the
federal compulsory collective bar.
gaining statute will last very long
but the fact that this statute is
due for the discard, it SENS to-
me, hardly warrants the action
which the steel companies have
taken. They are no more war
ranted in that than union labor is.
warranted in taking advantage Of
the political situation to feather
their own nest. A real danger, in
addition to this, is that Communist
agitators are going to use this stu
alton as one vehicle for spreading
their propaganda of dissatisfaction
and discomfort and Mr.. Roosevelt's,
attack on massed capital unfortu--
nately lends itself to the nefarious-
schemes of the Reds.
It long has been said that the
method of administering laws fire.
quently has Great
Tax LdU ed more dissatis-
Irritation faction among the
citizens than the
requirements Of laws themselves.
Tax laws of whatever kind furnish
splendid example. 1t has always
been true since we have had in
come tax laws that taxpayers
have complained more about bu-s
reaucratic regulation, indecision,
lack of uniformity in adninistra-
ton and, generally speaking, slow
processes of settlement than about
the amount they were required to-
pay. The same is true about our
customs laws despite the fact that
they affect fewer persons directly:
The other day the Treasury is
sued notice to customs inspectors
that was defective Immediately"
It was a change in policy respect
ing the quantity of goods an indi-
vidual may bring in from foreign
shores without the payment of the
customs tax.
Since 1898 or Whereabouts, there
has been law which permitted a
returning American to bring in
commodities of whatever kind he
desired, except narcotics, up to-
$500 in value but that law permit
ted the Treasury to make excep-
tons. The Treasury notice the 9TH
er day was an announcement of
an exception to this $100 exemp-
ton. 1t said that no inbound trav-
eler could carry more than one
wine gallon of liquor without the
payment of the customs tax there
on. A practice had sprung up since
the import duty on liquors has been
made so high of returning tourists
bringing in almost the full exemp-
ton in liquor alone. Probably the
practice was getting very bad and
no one questions the judgment of
the Treasury in determining poll
cy. But it is the method employed
in making this change that has
aroused criticism.
In ordering the new regulation
defective Immediately, the Treas
ury forced upon hundreds of tray
elers the necessity for paying duty
on their personal stocks of liquor
in what amounts to surprise or
der. They had left foreign shores
under one regulation and arrive un-
der another.
I have no doubt at all that the
Treasury's reason for changing the
rule while the game was being
played will result in a considerable
amount of revenue for the govern
ment But there are many who
believe, as I do, that the depart
ment in all fairness should have
issued it's regulation to become eff
fective at some fixed date in the
future in order that citizens who
must comply with it would be pre-
pared by proper notification of
what they were expected to do and
the penalties for failure to obey.
The incident to which I have re-
ferred is an outstanding example
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