Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-02-03

Speaking for all branches OF the
mining industry. the American
Mining congress specifically asked
the House ways and means commit
tee, in acting on the proposed ex-
tension OF the trade agreements pro
gram to:
l Require Senate ratification OF
all agreements.
should Not Apply To All
>. Urge Congress to amend Ian
guage of the existing law which re-
quires any concession to one coun-
try to be extended to practically
all nations on the face of the globe
to provide negotiations of trade
treaties on a bi-lateral or truly re-
ciprocal basis If pre-existing most
favored nation treaties make this
impossible of immediate action, Ian
guage should be inserted in the act
which will require the President
through the proper agency, to make
concessions on any commodity only
TO that country which constitutes
the principal source of imports
This represents nothing more than
the announced and oft-repeated
policy unfortunately not observed
in actual practice) of those charged
with administering the present act.
and should be specifically required
by law. the mining spokesman said
Method For Protection
g. Amend the act to compel cor
receive action when needed to pro-
tect established domestic industries
and employment insofar as benefits
granted to one country continue to
be extended to other countries.
Suggested by the mining congress is
an amendment to the present act
which would compel the withdrawal
of a concession made to any country
on a given commodity in the event
total imports of that article from
other countries exceed those from
the signatory country.
4 Modify the existing act to take
care Of the effects of deprecated
currencies of other nations and re-
store the tariff protection which
remained when the treaties We're
promulgated.
5 Amend the act to make definite
provisions for adjusting tariff rates
as well as downward when
demanded by the needs of domestic
industry and labor.
Claim Not Supported.
The mining congress charged
that experience of the mining
industry i'm connection with the
Canadian and Venezuelan trade
agreements failed to support
the claim of the secretary Of
state that scrupulOus care is
taken to ascertain all relevant
facts bearing upon any pro-
posed reduction in our tariff
rates, TO the end that no
action will be taken which
would ''be prejudicial to any
established branch of prOduc-
ton, i'm agriculture, in mining
or in manufacturing industry"
Conover cited the following ex-
periences of the mining industry as |
illustrative of the State department |
failure to give due consideration |
10 information available or adj |
vanced by the industry and fac
finding government bodies in the |
Venezuelan and Canadian agree |
ments:
Hearing Is Denied
In the Venezuelan agreement |
a fifty per cent reduction was made |
in the import excise tax on crude |
to the detriment of our
great bituminous and anthracite |
coal industries and over their pro-
test as well as the protests of oil |
producers. Correspondence between |
the State Department and repre- |
sentatives of domestic producers,
which has been referred to in recent |
testimony before your committee, |
pointed out a number of factors |
Observation-Disclosures