56513 HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE 017 UNITED STATES SENATE Λ SEVENTY-FIRST CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H. R. 2667 AN ACT TO PROVIDE REVENUE, TO REGULATE SPECIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS JULY 15, 16, 17, AND 18, 1929 INDEXED Printed for the use of the Committee on Finance UNITED STATES WASHINGTON : 1929 Under authority of Senate Resolution 335, Seventieth Congress, second session, the United States Senate Finance Committee, for the purpose of investigating the effects of the operation of the tariff act of 1922 and the proposed readjustments as set out in House bill 2667, commenced general tariff hearings on June 13, 1929, pursuant to the following public notice authorized by the committee on June 7, 1929: Dates of hearings and tariff subcommittees Subcommittees Subcommittee No. 1, room 212 Senate Office Building Shortridge, chairman, Smoot, Watson, Harrison, Shortridge, chairman, Smoot, Watson, Harrison, and Connally. Watson, chairman, Smoot, Shortridge, Harrison, and Connally. Smoot, chairman, Watson, Shortridge, Harrison, and Connally. Subcommittee No. 3, room 301 Senate Office Building Bingham, chairman, Greene, Sackett, Simmons, and George. Greene, chairman, Bingham, Sackett, Simmons, and George. Bingham, chairman, Greene, Sackett, Simmons, and George. Sackett, chairman, Greene, Bingham, Simmons, and George. Sackett, chairman, Greene, Bingham, Simmons, and George. Subcommittee No. 4, room 412 Senate Office Building Deneen, chairman, Couzens, Keyes, Walsh (Mass.), and Thomas (Okla.). Couzens, chairman, Deneen, Keyes, Walsh (Mass.), and Thomas (Okla.). Keyes, chairman, Couzens, Deneen, Walsh (Mass.), and Thomas (Okla.). NOTE.-Hearings on "Valuation" will be conducted before the full committee June 12. All meetings will commence at 9.30 a. m. unless otherwise noted. Hearings on free list, administrative, and miscellaneous provisions will be conducted before full committee at the conclusion of the subcommittee hearings. Stenographic reports were taken of all testimony presented to the committee. By direction of the committee all witnesses who appeared after the conclusion of the hearings on valuation were to be sworn. The testimony presented, together with the briefs and other exhibits submitted, is grouped together as far as practical in the numerical order of the House bill, which has made necessary the abandoning of the sequence of the statements and the order of appearance. ISAAC M. STEWART, Clerk. TARIFF ACT OF 1929 SPECIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS MONDAY, JULY 15, 1929 UNITED STATES SENATE, The committee met pursuant to call at 9.30 a. m. in Room 312, Senate Office Building, Senator Reed Smoot (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The hour of 9 o'clock and 30 minutes having arrived the committee will come to order. To-day has been set apart for the consideration of special and administration provisions found on page 388 of the House bill, under title 4. GENERAL STATEMENTS STATEMENT OF CHESTER H. GRAY, WASHINGTON, D. C., REPRESENTING THE AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION (The witness was duly sworn by the chairman.) Mr. GRAY. In appearing before you on the administrative and miscellaneous provisions I want to call attention to four topics; and I shall make an effort to be as brief as possible; if I could be uninterrupted I could finish all that I have to say in 15 minutes easily. The CHAIRMAN. I hope that you will not be interrupted. Mr. GRAY. The flexible provision, the Tariff Commission, the general proposition of our colonies, and milling in bond are the four administrative provisions which our membership in the Farm Bureau are interested in. Taking up the flexible provision first, and referring to section 336 of the House bill where it is found, I wish to call attention briefly to our desire in the Farm Bureau that a flexible provision be retained in the forthcoming tariff law. Our membership in the Farm Bureau during the last two years has been more attracted to and interested in the flexible provisions than any other section that even might have included rates. The reason for that is this, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: During the last two years the farmers have realized that some of their rates were not adequate, and to get the rates raised under the flexible provision, such as the 50 per cent limitation feature, we have been interested before the Tariff Commission in cases on these commodities: Wheat, corn, Swiss cheese, 1 |