Passed At Last

Amid Republican cheers and Democratic imprecations the Congress last week finally disposed of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Bill and sent it to the White House where President Hoover was ready to approve it immediately. Congress had consumed one year, five months, seven days on the measure since the House Ways & Means Committee opened its hearings-- the longest tariff consideration in U. S. history.

President Hoover had asked for revision limited to agriculture and to industries where "there has been a substantial slackening of activity." The Congress had revised 1,122 different rates out of a total 3,300, upped 887 of them, raised the duty level 20% above present law, increased U. S. tariff revenues an estimated $107,000.000 per year to $630,000,000. Most Republicans were satisfied they had executed the 1928 party platform whereas many Democrats, denouncing the measure as the "Billion-Dollar Grundy Bill," felt that in defeat they had won a prime political issue for this year's Congressional campaign.

What the House and Senate did last week was not technically to pass the tariff bill (that was done months ago) but to vote approval of a compromise measure whipped together in conference. By adopting identic reports from this conference, each body in effect agreed to the new legislation in its final form.

Senate Vote. The conference report first faced the Senate where polls showed the vote would be exceedingly close. About the chamber sped an impression that Senators David Aiken Reed and Joseph Ridgway Grundy, Republican high-protectionists from Pennsylvania, would vote against the bill. Senator Reed made a display of his uncertainty, called on President Hoover, did much public pondering. Senator Grundy, famed as a high-tariff lobbyist before he took his seat and, since then, charged by his foes with being the "bachelor father" of the measure, hemmed and hawed in indecision. The day before the vote Senators Reed and Grundy arose to denounce the bill.

Senator Reed: "The bill is a patchwork satisfactory to no one in this chamber. As a whole it cannot be approved by any of us. ... The farm rates are ridiculous . . . utterly unjustifiable. The bill, as it left the Senate for conference, was the worst tariff bill I've ever seen. . . . The bill is unpopular in the country. . . . My strong inclination has been to vote against it. ...

"BUT I have come to the conclusion that that would be wrong, . . . because American business has stood about all it can stand and because it is almost better that the tariff agitation be ended than that it be ended right. ... If this bill fails now, we will have another tariff bill in the next long session of Congress and I don't believe American business can stand that. . . . Just to avert that trouble, I intend to vote for this conference report."

Senator Grundy: "I am not satisfied with the proposed new tariff law because I do not believe it is a fulfillment of the 1928 tariff plank of the Republican Party. . . . The method by which the bill was drawn up never met with my approval. ... In secret [committee] sessions the provisions were drawn up with little or no regard for the facts. ... I know of no other tariff revision where the administrative features were considered in the light of party politics. . . . On these principal reasons, I base my dissatisfaction with the new law. . . .

"BUT I shall vote to accept the conference report . . . because I believe the long-drawn-out duration of this tariff revision has contributed to business and industrial uncertainty and the quickest and surest way to end that uncertainty is to get rid of this measure."

The votes, no matter how reluctant, of Senators Reed and Grundy determined the issue. When the balloting started, the galleries were crammed and visiting Representatives stood five deep around the chamber wall. Breaths were held as the roll was called. There were 44 "ayes." The "noes" totalled 42. Five pairs of Senators kept off the record by cancelling each other's votes. Five Democrats (Florida, two, Louisiana, two, Wyoming one) lined up with the Republican majority. Had the pair of Pennsylvania protectionists voted as they talked the bill would have been killed.

House Vote. In the House the voting was less tense. Speaker Longworth had predicted the measure would be passed at 4 p. m. with a majority of about 70. The vote came at 4 p. m. and the majority was 69 (222 to 153). As the engrossed copy of the bill was handed up to him, Speaker Longworth declared: "The Chair takes great pleasure in signing this bill." Almost in a body, Republican Congressmen rose and cheered.

Provisions. Stricken from the bill was the Senate's Export Debenture Plan. The President's power to flex rates 50% up or down is preserved much as it is under present law, with the difference that he cannot determine for himself the degree to which duties are to be changed but must act on specific figures given him by the Tariff Commission.

Rates. Import rates under the Tariff Act of 1922 and under what, with the President's signature, will become the Tariff Act of 1930: Commodity 1922 1930

(percentages--ad valorem) Anvils (lb.) 1 5/8-c- 3-c-

Automobiles 25% 10%

Beans (lb.) 1/2-c-3 1/2-c-

Beef (lb.) 3-c- 6-c-

Boots & Shoes Free 20%

Brick (per 1,000) Free $1.25

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

Casein (lb.) 2 1/2-c- 5 1/2-c-

Cattle (lb.) 2-c- 2 1/2-c-

Cement (cwt.) Free 6-c-

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

Cotton (long staple) (lb.) Free 7-c-0

Cream (gal.) 20-c- 56.6-c-

Diamonds, unset 20% 10%

Dolls 70% 90%

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

Flaxseed (bu.) 40-c- 65-c-

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

Harness Leather Free 12 1/2-c-

Hay (ton) $4 $5

Hides Free 10%

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

Logs (per 1,000 ft.) $1 Free

Lumber, soft (per 1,000

ft.) Free $1

Maple Sugar (lb.) 4-c- 8-c-

Matches (box) 8-c- 20-c-

Milk (gal.) 2 1/2-c- 6 1/4-c-

Oats (bu.) 13-c- 16-c-

Olive Oil (lb.) 7 1/2-c- 9 1/2-c-

Peanuts (lb.) 4-c- 7-c-

Pig Iron (ton) 75-c- $1.12^

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

Poultry (lb.) 6-c- 10-c-

Sole Leather Free 12 1/2-c-

Steam Turbines 15% 20%

Sugar Cane (ton) $1 $2.50

Sugar (Cuban) (lb.) 1.76-c- 2-c-

Sugar (world) (lb.) 2.2-c- 2.5-c-

Truffles (lb.) 25% Free

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

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