SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



MATTERS OF SCIENTIFIC INTEREST IN CONGRESS 



Since the last report in this Journal^ Mr. Bacharach's bill (H. R. 

 7785) has been passed by the House of Representatives, and is now in 

 the hands of the Senate Committee on Finance. 



The bill as now drawn provides an increase of 15 per cent in the ex- 

 isting duty on chemical glassware, 10 per cent on porcelain ware, 25 

 per cent on scientific instruments, 40 per cent on surgical and dental 

 instruments; removes optical glass from the free list and places thereon 

 a duty of 45 per cent; and repeals the existing "duty-free provision." 

 It was debated in the House (in session as Committee of the Whole) on 

 August I and 2. Mr. Bacharach presented the principal arguments 

 for the bill, emphasizing not only the "revenue," "infant industry," and 

 "cheap foreign labor" arguments which support all protective tariff 

 bills, but also the "key industry" and "foreign propaganda" arguments, 

 which are comparatively new in American tariff discussion. The latter 

 two arguments were scarcely referred to again during the debate. The 

 strongest future foreign competition, according to Mr. Bacharach, is 

 expected to come from Japan, not from Germany. Mr. MoorE, of 

 Ohio, also supported the bill on behalf of glass and porcelain manufac- 

 turers in his district. Mr. Griffin, of New York, opposed the bill, as- 

 serting that it was "the opening gun in the battle for a general increase 

 of the tariff." Mr. Kitchin, of North Carolina, also opposed it, argu- 

 ing in favor of a licensing system instead of a protective tariff. The 

 rest of the debate was essentially political. An amendment to insert 

 "watch crystals, 60 per cent ad valorem" went out on the point of order 

 that the bill related only to chemical and laboratory glassware. Three 

 Democratic amendments to restore existing rates were defeated; 

 likewise an amendment to retain the duty-free provision, in supporting 

 which Mr. Kitchin asserted that the repeal of the duty-free clause 

 would tax college students $900,000 yearly for the benefit of the manu- 

 facturers. The division on this amendment, as pointed out by Mr. 

 Kitchin, was on strictly party lines. 



Mr. Taylor, of Colorado, introduced, on August 14, H. R. 8441: 

 "Authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to make investigations, 

 through the Bureau of Mines, of oil shale to determine the practica- 

 bility of its utilization as a commercial product." Referred to the 

 Committee on Appropriations. A similar bill was introduced in the 

 Senate on August 4 by Mr. King (S. 2722). 



Mr. France, of Maryland, has introduced in the Senate a resolu- 



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