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Show OIL MAN RAPS TRADE TREATY WASHINGTON, March 5 P The senate finance committee was told today that the state department depart-ment broke faith with congress when the excise tax on imported oil was reduced by 50 per cent In a trade agreement with Venezuela. Vene-zuela. Russell B. Brown, general counsel coun-sel of the Independent Petroleum association, asserted that domestic oil producers were kept "completely "complete-ly in the dark" while the agreement agree-ment was being negotiated. They were denied the right to argue the -point that the department had no authority to cut excise taxes, he said, because of promises made in congress when the reciprocal trade agreements act was passed. "The state department," Brown . testified, "has made what constitutes consti-tutes a technical legal defense of its action, but has made no frank -statement to Justify an administrative administra-tive agency In what appears to be a breach of good faith with the congrtss from which It receives Its power." Senator Vandenberg (R., Mich.) said he thought there could "be no doubt about the record on that score." |