Evening star., 1945-05-13
Charles Taft Defends
Tariff Plan Against
COP Critics al Hearinq
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

CnarleS r. IaIU, son OF the former
Republican President and now serv-
ing in the State Department, took
on the Republican members of the
House Ways and Means Commit
tee for four hours of lively debate
yesterday as he defended the ad-
ministration's new trade agreement
bill and his own record as a Re-
publican.
The rapid fire of questions and
answers reached its peak as Mr..
Taft and Representative Knutson,
Republican, of Minnesota dis
agreed over whether the trade reci-
procity advocated by President Nc
Kinley was comparable to the cur
rent trade agreements inaugurated
by the Roosevelt administration in
1884.
The battle of words appeared,
however. to end in a draw. For.
when the committee adjourned at
$50 pm, Mr.. Taft had not re-
treated from his belief that the
President will need additional
tariff-cutting authority to bargain
with other countries for trade con-
cessions after the war, and Re-
publican committee members were
still predicting they would be able
to hold the bill to straight ex-
tension OF the Trade Agreement
Act without any deeper cuts.
Hearings Close Tomorrow.
With the present law expiring on
June II, Chairman Doughton plans
to close the hearings tomorrow,
after hearing several members of
the House who are not on the COM
mittee.
Among tomorroW's witnesses will
be Representative Randolph, Demo-
crat, of West Virginia, author of
substitute bill to extend the
Trade Agreement Act for two wears
without broader tarif-cutting
power.
Mr.. Randolph said last night he
believes it would serve no good pur-
pose to this or other nations to
broaden the act until the war and
the immediate period of adjustment
are past.
A straight extension would limit
tariff reductions to so per cent of
the rates fixed by Congress in
1880 in the Smot- -Hawley Act. The
administration bill would author
ize reductions of not to exceed
so per cent of the duties as they
stood in January. This would
mean that a rate already cut in
half under the current law could
be reduced another so per cent.
Vote May Be Close.
The House committee consists of
Is Democrats and 10 Republicans.
Although there is no doubt some
extension of the act will be reported
out, the Democrats may have a
tight squeeze to hold a majority for
the additional power. The Repub-
licans are believed to be solid in
their opposition to the additional
leeway, which means that the ad-
m1nlstration cannot lose more than
two Democratic votes and bring out
the bill as it stands. One informed
Democrat said he believed the new
reduction authority would be re-
tained, but another member of the
majority party indicated he was
not certain of this result.
Early in the day Mr.. Taft. sum-
ming up for the State Department,
the various arguments
raised against the bill during three
weeks of hearings. He insisted that
no witness has successfully chal-
lenged the testimony of Assistant
Secretary of State Clayton that no
essential industrial or agricultural
interest has been damaged seriously
by the Reciprocal Trade Agree
ments."
Cites Case of Mckinley.
When Representative Knutson
made reference to Mr.. Taft's DO
litical allegiance, the witness re-
piled:
Il am still a Republican, and I
voted for Mr.. Dewey"
by their fruits you shall know
them, Mr.. Knutson retorted.
Mr.. Taft, who never let a question
pass during the long cross-exami-
nation, responded by citing Presi-
dent Mckinley as Republican
champion of trade agreements. Mr..
Knutson insisted the Mckinley pro-
gram called for bilateral agree
ments, the benefits of which did not
go to countries outside of the agree
ment. The Minnesotan contended
the current agreements are multi
lateral, but Mr.. Taft disagreed.
THE last three Republican candi-