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Show r PRESIDENT TAFT'S wf I MESSAGE TO CONGRESS I ';K Deals With Question of Revising Tar- H Iff With Philippines and Contains' H Recommendations of the Secretary -of Var. Washington. The president on M Thursday sent ;to congress a epor.Ial 1 message In relation to tho .ph'llpplno tariff. The message transmits recommendations recom-mendations by tho secretary Of war 1 for a revision of tho Philippine tnrlff so as to permit n'B. much customs revenuo rev-enuo ns posslblo for tho Island?, nnd nt the samo tlmo (o extend to tho Islands tho principle pr n protective ,'; tariff for Its Industries. Tho niessngo and accompanying let-tors, let-tors, with a copy of tho proposed act, - wero submitted to both houses of congress Bhorlly after they convened. Generally speaking, Uie bill sub- mlttcd by tho president makes n slight Increaso lh tho rates of duty now provided In tho Phlllpplno 'tnrlff bill, but Its trainers sny" Its tehdency Is to Insure ns far as practicable tho benefit of tho Philippine markot for Amorlcan manufacturers and products. pro-ducts. Tho bill makes some additions, to the freo HsL The message follows: To tho Sennto and House of RepresentativesI Repre-sentativesI transmit herewith a communication from tho secretary of war, Inclosing ono from tho chief of tho bureau of insular affairs, In which Is transmitted a proposed tariff revision revis-ion law for tho Phlllpplno Islands; I This measure revises tho present Philippine tariff, simplifies it and makes it conform ns nearly as pos-slblo pos-slblo to tho regulations of the customs cus-toms laws of tho United Stntcs, and especially with respect to packing and pnekages. Tho present Philippine-regulations Philippine-regulations havo been cumbetsomo-nnd cumbetsomo-nnd havo been difficult for American merchants nnd exportors to comply with. Its purposo Is to meet tho now1 conditions thnt will nrlso under tho section of tho pending United States tariff bill, which provides, with certain cer-tain limitations, for freo trndo be?-twecn be?-twecn tho United StnteB and the Islands. It Is drawn with a vlow to l reserving to tho Islands as much cus- II tnms revenuo as possible nnd to protect pro-tect In n reasonable measure thoso Industries In-dustries which now exist in tho islands. Tho bill now transmitted has been drawn by tho board of tariff exports, of which tho insular collector of customs, cus-toms, Colonel Georgo R. Colton, wns the president. Tho board had a great many onen meetings In Manila and conferred fully wltlj representatives' of all business interests In the Phlllpplno Phll-lpplno Islands. It Is of great Importance Import-ance to tho welfnrc of tho Islands that tho bill Rhould bo passed at the samo t'mo with the pending Pnyner bill, with special reference to the pro- . visions of which It wnB prepnred. I respectfuly recommend thnt this bill bo enacted at tho present session , of congress ns ono Incldentnl to and required by tho pnssago of tho Payne bill. WILLIAM H. TAFT. Tho White House, April 14, 1909. Secretnry of War Dickinson, In for-wnrdlng for-wnrdlng tho papers to tho president, says: "I havo not had tlmo to oxamlno tho bill In detail, nnd have not sufficient suf-ficient ncqualntnnco with the subject to say whothor or not It Is what 1L should bo; but Oeneral Edwards, who-Is who-Is familiar with tho matter, recommends recom-mends It, nnd I havo no doubt thnt with your own famlllnrity with tho subject you will bo nblo to dlsposo of It." Tho letter of General Edwards, dated April 11, and nddressed to Secretary Sec-retary Dickinson, nftcr describing tho measure nnd Its purposes, In much tho same langungo as the president, says: "It will bo understood thnt tho result re-sult of tho freo admission of Amerl-enn Amerl-enn goods Into tho Phlllpplno islands must revolutionize business In tho Philippines, and unless tho ndoptlon of that policy Is accompanied by a revision re-vision of tho present Phlllpplno tariff . It will provo disastrous to somo Important Im-portant industries In tho Islands, and also. result In such serious loss to tho customs revenuo ns to embarrass tho Phlllpplno government. "It hns had publicity In tho United Stntcs, nnd it Is bolloved thnt contending con-tending Interests havo boon reconciled, recon-ciled, nnd ns far as schedules aro concerned con-cerned It should meet with no opposition. oppo-sition. For Instance, tho schedules relntlng to tho Introduction or tobacco, to-bacco, Sumatra leaf and sugar nro mndo Identical with tho ponding. Pnyno bill, nnd therefore havo re- moved tho npprohi'iislon that thoso S goods can bo imported Into tho Phil- J ipplno Islands at a less tariff rato, and thonco Into tho United Stntos free, ns tho growth and production of tho Philippine Phil-ippine Islands. "Tho proposed revision has the approval ap-proval of tho govornor-gonornl nnd tho government ho represents in the Phlllpplno Islands." |