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Show SENATE BOOSTING OUISHIOEREO Taxes on Barley. Hops, Potatoes and Oysters Are All Set a Notch Higher. ACTION OF GERMANY IS GIVEN A SCORING Question as to Why Report on Wages Was Not Made Public Pub-lic Discussed. WASHINGTON, May 2fl. During two hours boforo adjournment today the senate made more rcnl progress in the adoption of taVift schedules previously pre-viously passed than has been usual during dur-ing an entire day. Despite protests voiced b' Senators Ticvortdjjo and Root, the duty 011 barley was increased from 2H cents a bushel, as proposed by the house, to DO cents, as recommended by tho committee on finance. The tax on hops was advanced. The house had made tho duty 32 cents, while the committee com-mittee on finance hud formerly advanced ad-vanced it. to 15 cents. Today the committee com-mittee brought, in an additional amendment amend-ment making tho rate 20 cents. The duty on potatoes was made 35 cents per' bushel, instead of 25 cents, and oysters in the shell were advanced from ;I of a cent a pound to 25 per cent. The increase in the rate on oysters was made on motion of Senator Piles, who has an industry in bivalves to protect pro-tect against Canadian competition. Squabblo Over Lemons. That, there should be a duty of 20 7er cent on raw cotton merely for revenue reve-nue was advocated by Senator Bncon. Mr. Root, spoke for tho New Yorlc lemon consumers, insisting that the Tate of l1-; cents per pound, as fixed bv the finance committee, was too high. Mr. Flint, speaking for tho lomon growers, supported the advance, and said the lemon industry of California Califor-nia would be wiped out if this duty was not. levied. The schedule was still under discussion when tho senate adjourned. ad-journed. Mr. Flint gave a full nc-" nc-" 'count of the California lemon industry. Germany in tho Game. The report sent, by the German government gov-ernment showing -wages in Germany was the subicotf of extended debate tor. moro than 'two hours. .Mr. " Aldnch, disavowing any intention to be severe in his eharae-torization, intimated that, the statement was "impertinent. After considerable acrimonious debate, a message from President Taft ended the discussion, as it accompanied the verv statoment on German wages that had' been discussed, Mr. Aldnch saying say-ing he would promptly have it translated trans-lated into English, and assurance was given that it. would soon be printed lor the information of everyone. Aldrich Roasts Germans. Senator Aldrich denounced as "impertinent" "im-pertinent" tho efforts of the German o-ovemment to influence .American tariff ta-riff legislation by supplying anonymous information as to wages paid German workmen. His characterization followed fol-lowed a statement by Senator Depew intimating that German manufacturers were striving to influence congress through the German government and American importers of German goods. The reply of tho president to a request re-quest of the senate calling for a statement, state-ment, as to wages in Germany proved the signal for this animated discussion as soon as the souate assembled today. The president stated in his message that the document in question had been sent to the finance committee on April 16. Senator Nelson, going to the desk of the vico president, took the president s brief message, and as ho held it m his hand, asked that tho statement referred to be printed as a senate document. Occasion for Surprise. "I am surprised," said Mr. Nelson, "'that the linanco" committee has withheld with-held that report." "h hac made some investigation as to the character of that report," replied re-plied Mr. Aldrich, "and i find that it. consists of statements by certain boards of trade of Germany transmit- j tiug auonvmous testimony of manufacturers manufac-turers in "answer to statements made before a committee of congress. "I am willing that this document should bo priutod." . Mr. Depew spoke of the importance of the business before congress, and asserted that it. was purely an American Ameri-can question. "Vet," he said, ' wo find that foreign governments are entering en-tering the senate chamber for tho obstruction ob-struction of legislation for which the president has called an extra session." Continuing, the New York senator Sa"t am told that Prince yon Buelow has "sent to his government an nnouy-mous nnouy-mous statement, so in dotnil that it has gone even into the question of razors Then I am told that it has been put up by tho German government govern-ment into the hnnds ot importers and ilinv have put it into the hands of senators with free trade tendencies. ! The question which arises far above that of political party, as the information infor-mation was sent to the staie department depart-ment under ( the seal of the German government. " La Follotto's Statement. Mr. La Follotto, declaring that the senate was entitled to such information, informa-tion, said he had been informed that tho fact that the report had not been given to the senate for its consideration considera-tion had been the subject of criticism and sonic- feeling on the part of the 1 German government, as it contained information in-formation in response to a request of this government. Mr. La .Follotlc declared de-clared that as received tho statement concerning wages in Germany had been signed by the German manufacturers supplying it, but that the signatures had been erased. Mr. Aldrich then explained that the statement had been transmitted bv the German government on the condition . Continued 011 Page Two SENATE BOOSTING DUTIES CONSIDERED Continued from Page One. that it should not be printed, and such testimony was, he said, worthless from his point of view. Aldiich Spoaks Plainly. Mr. Aldrich stated that tho American Ameri-can embassador at Berlin had requested information, but he explained ho could not have aBked for roplics to testimony beioro tho ways and means committee. commit-tee. "Nothing on the record," ho said, "shows what tho American embassador asks for. If I am not saying something some-thing harsh I would say tho attempt, on tho part of any government or of a manufacturer of any government to influence legislation of congress in this way is, to sa3' tho least, importinent." "Further discussion with referonco to this report," Baid Mr. Carter, relinquishing re-linquishing tho floor and smiling, "may well be postponed until the document itself is printed." Tho president's message was referred to the committee on finance. Mr. Aldrich Al-drich remarking that ho would havo tho German report translated at once and printed. Tho duty on barley was involved in the first section of the tariff bill considered con-sidered by tho senate today. Senator Root spoke against an increase of this dutj- from 25 to 30 cents per bushel. He believed that 30 cents was more than a protective duty. Idaho Senator Heard. Mr. Bevoridge declared ho would vote against the increase, while Senator Aldrich Al-drich upheld tho action of tho com- mitteo in increasing tho house rnto. Senator Heyburri also defended the rate of 30 cents as warranted in view of conditions that exist in Canada, which make possible tho production of cereals at a low cost. After further discussion tho sennte amendment was adopted by a vote of 48 to 28. 'Mr. Aldrich then offered a committee commit-tee amendment, making the 25 per cent ad "valorem duty on biscuits annlicable to unswootened biscuits and fixing a duty of 50 per cont ad valorem on sweetened biscuits and other baked articles. ar-ticles. The amendment was agreed to. Another amondment offered bv Mr. Aldrich and agreed to increased the duty on hops from 15 cents per pound, tho senate rate, to 20 cents. The house rate was 12 cents. Mr. Dupont discussed at some length the potato schedule, endeavoring to show that foreign importations threatened threat-ened to affect the potato industry of tho Atlantic seaboard. An amendment offered bv Mr. Dupont Du-pont increasing the duty on potatoos from 25 to 45 cents per bushel of sixty pounds was adopted. Tho McCumber amendments, redrafting redraft-ing the paragraph covering flowerB and bulba and substituting specific rates for ad valorom rates was agreed to. Tho fish schedule was further amended amend-ed by placing a duty of 25 por cent ad valorem on oysters in tho shell which was suggested by Senator Piles of Washington, in whose state the bivalve bi-valve has boen of importance commercially, com-mercially, and is in competition with the oyster north of the American boundary boun-dary lino. Eels or emeRs, frosh or frozen, are also taxed 1 cent per pound. 1 |
