Evening star., 1945-05-20
Bitter Party Battle
Due This Week as
House Debates Tariff
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

party battles of recent years will
be staged in the House this week
over the administrations request
for authority to make further
tariff cuts in future trade agree
mentS.
The opening barrage was fired
last night, when the Democratic
majority on the Ways and Means
Committee filed its report, calling
the broadened trade agreement bill
one of the foundation stones of in
ternational security.
The Republicans countered with
minority report, in which they
denied they are economic isola-
tionists," and contended the ma
jority program will jeopardize the
American market by opening the
flood gates to the products of coun-
tries whose standards of living are
considerably below those prevailing
in the United States"
Debate Opens Tuesday.
AS the debate gets under way
Tuesday, the administration will
hold the edge in speculation over
the outcome. This is based mainly
on the numerical advantage of 242
Democrats to l89 Republicans now
holding House seats. There also are
one American-Laborite and one
Progressive. Two seats are vacant.
Democratic leaders are not ap-
preaching the flight with a feeling
of overconfidence based on this nu-
merical standing, however. They
expect the Republican vote to be
fairly solid against the additional
tarM-cutting power, and they are
aware of the fact that in some con-
gressional districts now held by
Democrats the tariff is a burning
tissue because of local industries that
fear foreign competition. 4 .
Assuming that Republican lines
hold, it would take a detection of
more than 26 in Democratic ranks to
kill the additional tariff cutting
authority. which is the heart of the
bill. The Republicans indicated
Eagain in their minority report that
they would not object to a straight
extension of the Trade Agreement
Act. without the additional cutting
authority.
Senate Fight Also Expected.
Some observers believe the meas
ure will get through the House. but
encounter an even stronger fight,
leading to probable compromise, In
the Senate.
The majority report, seeking to
link trade agreements with future
world security. declared:
The nations of the world cannot
for long maintain that close har-
mony in the political field which is
essential to prompt and concerted
action in the face of military ag-
gression if they are at swords points
with each other in the economic
field"
The present law limited tariff
cuts to so per cent of the 1880 rates.
To support the State Departments
claim that more bargaining power
is needed If further trade conces-
sions are to be obtained, the major
ity pointed out that the full so per
cent has been used up with respect
to AZ per cent by value of dutiable
imports. Partial reductions have
been made on another 20 per cent of
imports.
Germany and Japan.
"Of the remaining authority
which has not been used at all and
which covers about SO per cent of
our dutiable imports, consider
able portion relates to products of
Germany and Japan" the majority
continued.
Approaching the issue from a diff
ferent angle, the Republican report
argued that "a per cent of the items
listed in the Tariff Act are on the
free list, land now that We fight
to protect and preserve the remain
ing So per cent for the benefit of
our own people we are termed iso-
lationists, obstructionists and un-
American"
The Republicans argued that t
tariff barriers are lowered further,
high wage and price levels in this
country will act as a magnet to
draw low-cost, low-priced commodi-
ties from all parts of the world"
In this situation" the minority
continued, 'it will be folly to ex-
pose the American market in such
way as to endanger the employ
ment or wage or price levels needed
to maintain our fair labor standard
laws and other social security bene-
fits, or the programs to assure agri-
culture euuitahle treatment y