UNITED STATES TARIFF.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10546, 31 January 1912, Page 4

UNITED STATES TARIFF.

The Washington correspondent of the New York Herald states that Mr Knox, the Secretary of State, has sent a letter • to ■Mr Underwood, the Chairman of tihe Ways and Means Comimittee of the House of Representatives, requesting that certain sweeping tariff'powers may be granted to President Taft, in order to put an end to tihe discriminations on the part of foreign States against imports from the United' States. Mr Knox said that in the adjustment of tariff relations with foreign countries numerous discriminations in the administration of the, tariff had been discovered'. The majority of these had been removed through negotiations, but others could not be overcome by tiiis method. Mr Knox states that a solution of the difficulty can be found 'by the amendment of section 2 of tihe Tariff.Law, which would afford a certain degree of elasticity in the imposition of tariff rates.suited'to offences'' intended .for correction. These are not numerous, but must not be overlooked. The letter of the Secretary of State cites cases of discrimination on the part of Belgiumi, Germany, ! Italy, x Austria-Hungary, Portugal, j and Bulgaria, and recommends the imI position of retaliatory rates to meet them. These cases might call for -the' imposition of additional duties,, of from. 5;t0,, 2.5 per I .cent.: on a few, : ; cbm- : a into' the' United States'':migM'"he*s'ufciected to rates higiher than.;the. exist-, ing minimum... Mr .Knox "goes oh to say that instances misht arise ''where the subjection of free list commodities to a duty woud afford relief, while in en ses of an aggravated nature the prohibition of imports might he necessary. Retaliatory rates would he made applicable by means of a Presidential proclamation.