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Show TARIFF SCHEDULES WILL BE KEPT SECRET MEMBERS OF FINANCE COMMITTEE COMMIT-TEE ARE CAUTIOUS. Democratic Member Will Not Be Consulted Con-sulted Until tho BiD Has Been Completed. Washington, March 22. Emulating the ways and means committee of the house, the Republican members of tho finance committee of the sena'e will take extraordinary precautions to prevent pre-vent the divulging of schedules agree-1 upon for the new tariff bill, until sucn time as the bill has been perfected. In the few sessions of the committee that have been held, rates have not been discussed at all. The business has been cod fined to questions or procedure, pro-cedure, Buch as agreeing upon the employment em-ployment of certain experts in tariff making to aid In preparing a bill. All of the Republican senators have agreed that they will not discuss rates outside of the committee room. Following Fol-lowing the usual custom, the Democratic Demo-cratic members of the finance committee commit-tee will not be consulted until the but has been completed. They will havo an opportunity to examine- U. however, how-ever, before tho measure ts reportai to the senate, although this courtesy has not been shown in the 'p. ani is contrary' to the procedure observed by the house committee on ways and means In connection with the. Payne bill. The Republican members or the ways and means committee completed their bill, and immediately introduced it in the house before the Democrats saw it. The first chance they had to cxpross them6olves upon It, occurrol in the commlttc-e after the bill nad been referred, and that opportunity was extremely- limited. The plan outlined by Senator Aldrlen. and his Republican colleagues on tho finance committee is to take up the Mil and put it in shape and then to call the full committee together. Tho Democrats then would have the unhampered un-hampered chance of submitting a minority mi-nority report to tho sencto at the same time tho bill ia reported. Tho minority mi-nority members of tho oommlttee wilt not assume any responsibility tor the measure if the ordinary custom l tol-lowed. tol-lowed. It Is likely, however, that tbey will take up the house tariff bill and dissect It and build a party measuro which would become an important part of tho minority report. In the maintaining of secrecy or rates to be recommended by tho finance committee, it has been deoldel not to incorporato, in the bill, any figures fig-ures until the bill Is completed. Thero will be prepared tables. wulchU bft kept under cover In the committee rooms and not taken therefrom by any members of the commltteo. Theso tables will be In the cimtody of trusroa employes. As a further means or preventing pre-venting disclosures concerning details of the bill, tho question of rates will be postponed until the phraseology rl the various principles to be incorporated incorpo-rated in the measuro has been agreed upon. In other words the form r tha bMl will be perfected before an effort is made to agree upon any or the several sev-eral schedules over which there n likely to be conflict between the senate sen-ate and house. |
