Nightmare's End

After six and one-half nightmarish months, the Senate last week wound up its consideration of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Bill. It passed the Bill 53 to 31. The measure now goes to conference between the House and Senate for adjustment of differences before President Hoover can decide whether to sign it.

The present law, according to impartial statistics, provides U. S. industry with average protective rates of 34% ad valorem. The House Bill jacked this protection up to 43%. The Senate Bill scaled it down to 39%. Highest duties in U. S. history were imposed on agricultural imports, wools, sugar.

The Senate Bill is a feeble victory for Republican Old Guardsmen who for weeks lost control of their favorite legislation to a coalition of Democrats and insurgent Republicans. Last month, due to logrolling, trades and secret bargaining between local interests, the coalition disintegrated, the Old Guard regained control, rewrote rates.

In addition to high farm rates, the coalition forced three major provisions into the Senate Bill for settlement in the forthcoming conference with the House:

1) To pay a bounty on exported surplus farm commodities.

2) To transfer the power to flex tariff rates 50% from the President to the Congress.

3) To remove all tariff protection for U. S. companies which are adjudged monopolies or are guilty of restraint of trade.

No Senator was pleased with the Senate Bill. Mississippi's Democratic Senator Harrison declared: "It's the most obnoxious tariff ever passed."

Indiana's Watson, Old Guard leader: "It's a better Bill than we expected."

Nebraska's Insurgent Norris: "Some of its rates are almost criminal."

Essential tariff rates (items in controversy between the House & Senate in italics):

(Percentages -- Ad Valorem)

Commodity Present Rate House Rate Senate Rate

Automobiles 25% 25% 10%

Beans (Lb.); 1/2-c- 3 1/2-c- 3 1/2-c-

Blackstrap (Lb.) 1/6-c- 3-c- 3-c-

Boots & Shoes Free 20% Free

Brick (per 1,000) Free $1.25 $1.25

Butter (Lb.) 12-c- 14-c- 14-c-

Cattle (Lb.): 2-c- 2 1/2-c- 3-c-

Cement (Cwt.) Free 8-c- 6-c-

Corn (Bush.) 15-c- 25-c- 25-c-

Cream (Gal) 20-c- 48-c- 56.6-c-

Diamonds (Uncut) 10% 10% Free

Diamonds (Cut) 20% 20% 10%

Eggs (Doz.) 8-c- 10-c- 10-c-

Flaxseed (Bu.) 40-c- 63-c- 65-c-

Firecrackers (Lb.) 8-c- 8-c- 25-c-

Grapefruit (Lb.) 1-c- 1/2-c- 1/2-c-

Harness Leather Free 12 1/2% Free

Hay (Ton) $4.00 $4.00 $5.00

Hides Free 10% Free

Lemons (Lb.) 2-c- 2-c- 2 1/2-c-

Logs (Spruce, Cedar) Free $1.00 Free

Lumber, Soft (1,000 Ft.) Free Free $1.50

Manganese Ore (Lb.) 1-c- 1-c- 1-c-

Maple Sugar (Lb.) 4-c- 7 1/2-c- 8-c-

Matches (Box) 8-c- 20-c- 20-c-

Milk (Gal.) 2 1/2-c- 5-c- 6 1/2-c-

Oats (Bu.) 15-c- 15-c- 16-c-

Peanuts, Shelled (Lb.) .... 4-c- 7-c- 7-c-

Pig Iron (Ton) 75-c- $1.12 1/2 75-c-

Pork (Lb.) 3/4-c- 2 1/2-c- 2 1/2-c-

Potatoes (Cwt.) 50-c- 75-c- 75-c-

Poultry, Dead (Lb.) 6-c- 8-c- 10-c-

Shingles Free 25% Free

SoleLeather Free 12 1/2% Free

Sugar Cane (Ton) $1.00 $3.00 $2.00

Sugar (Cuban) (Lb.) 1.76-c- 2.4-c- 2-c-

Sugar, World (Lb.) 2.2-c- 3-c- 2.5-c-

Tomatoes (Lb.) 1/2-c- 3-c- 3-c-

Truffles 25% 30% Free

Wool Rags (Lb.) 7 1/2-c- 8-c- 18-c-

Wool, Scoured (Lb.) . . . . . 31-c- 34-c- 37-c-

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.