MESSAGES OF INTERSTATE TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE COMPANIES. AUGUST 2, 1912.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed. Mr. CALDER, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 3010.] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 3010) to fix the requirements governing the receipt, transmission, delivery, and preservation of messages of interstate telegraph and telephone companies, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it pass. The purpose of the bill, as explained in the title, is to require telegraph companies to send with each message the exact time at which it was filed for transmission, thus enabling the person who receives it to know how long it had been in transit. When a bill of like character was under consideration by this committee in the Sixtieth Congress, it was opposed by the officials of the Western Union Telegraph Co. on the ground that adding the filing time to each message would so increase the number of words as to entail a heavy pecuniary loss upon the company transmitting it. It was asserted, for example, that "10.45 a. m." would increase the number of words in the telegram by six, an assertion that the author of the bill showed to be manifestly absurd. "Ten forty-five a. m." represents, as every person connected with telegraphy understands, six units, or one unit more than is contained in the average printed word. On the other hand "1 p. m." is only three units, o. two units less than are contained in the average printed word. As a matter of fact, it would never be necessary to send the letter "m," whenever "a. m." or "p. m." were used, for the simple reason that this letter could be printed in the proper place on the receiving blank, thus still further reducing the number of units. The contention, therefore, that sending the filing time would cause the telegraph companies a severe pecuniary loss is shown to be unfounded. The legislatures of two States, Massachusetts and Maryland, several years ago, enacted legislation of this character with gratifying results to the public and without the slightest embarrassment to the telegraph companies The operation of these acts, however, is limited to the States in which they are in force, and it is desired, therefore, that Congress shall pass a law making its operation uniform in all the States. The testimony given before the committee shows that, with one exception, every country in Europe and America transmits the filing time with messages. The one exception is the United States, a country that is usually to the fore in every movement for moral uplift and for commercial and industrial progress. From a study of the testimony submitted your committee is of the opinion that there is nothing in this bill that could work an injury to the companies engaged in the business of telegraphy and that it is so unquestionably in the interest of the public that its passage is herewith unanimously recommended. REDUCTION OF DUTIES ON WOOL AND MANUFACTURES OF WOOL. AUGUST 2, 1912.-Ordered to be printed. Mr. UNDERWOOD, from the committee of conference, submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 22195.] The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 22195) to reduce the duties on wool and manufactures of wool, having met, after full and free conference have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate and agree to the same with an amendment, as follows: In lieu of the matter inserted by said amendment insert the following: That the Act approved August fifth, nineteen hundred and nine, entitled "An Act to provide revenue, equalize duties, and encourage the industries of the United States, and for other purposes," is hereby amended by striking out all of Schedule K thereof, being paragraphs three hundred and sixty to three hundred and ninety-five, inclusive, and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "Schedule K. Wool and Manufactures Thereof. "360. On wool of the sheep, hair of the camel, goat, alpaca, and other like animals, and on all wools and hair on the skin of such animals, the duty shall be twenty-nine per centum ad valorem. "361. On all noils, top waste, card waste, slubbing waste, roving waste, ring waste, yarn waste, bur waste, thread waste, garnetted waste, shoddies, mungo, flocks, wool extract, carbonized wool, carbonized noils, and on all other wastes and on woolen rags composed wholly of wool or of which wool is the component material of chief value, and not specially provided for in this section, the duty shall be twenty-nine per centum ad valorem. "362. On combed wool or tops and roving or roping, made wholly of wool or camel's hair, or of which wool or camel's hair is the component H R-62-2-vol 5- -27 material of chief value, and all wools and hair which have been advanced in any manner or by any process of manufacture beyond the washed or scoured condition, not specially provided for in this section, the duty shall be thirty-two per centum ad valorem. "363. On yarns made wholly of wool or of which wool is the component material of chief value, the duty shall be thirty-five per centum ad valorem. "364. On cloths, knit fabrics, flannels not for underwear, composed wholly of wool or of which wool is the component material of chief value, women's and children's dress goods, coat linings, Italian cloths, bunting, and goods of similar description and character, clothing, ready-made, and articles of wearing apparel of every description, including shawls, whether knitted or woven, and knitted articles of every description made up or manufactured wholly or in part, felts not woven, and not specially provided for in this section, webbings, gorings, suspenders, braces, bandings, beltings, bindings, braids, galloons, edgings, insertings, flouncings, fringes, gimps, cords, cords and tassels, ribbons, ornaments, laces, trimmings, and articles made wholly or in part of lace, embroideries and all articles embroidered by hand or machinery, head nets, nettings, buttons or barrel buttons or buttons of other forms for tassels or ornaments, and manufactures of wool ornamented with beads or spangles of whatever material composed, on any of the foregoing composed wholly of wool or of which wool is the component material of chief value, and on all manufactures of every description made by any process of wool or of which wool is the component material of chief value, whether containing india rubber or not, not specially provided for in this section, the duty shall be forty-nine per centum ad valorem. "365. On all blankets, and planners for underwear, composed wholly of wool, or of which wool is the component material of chief value, the duty shall be thirty-eight per centum ad valorem. ܐ، 366. On Aubusson, Axminster, moquette, and chenille carpets, figured or plain, and all carpets or carpeting of like character or description; on Saxony, Wilton, and Tournay velvet carpets, figured or plain, and all carpets or carpeting of like character or description; and on carpets of every description, woven whole for rooms, and Oriental, Berlin, Aubusson, Axminster, and similar rugs, the duty shall be fifty per centum ad valorem. "367. On Brussels carpets, figured or plain, and all carpets or carpeting or like character or description; and on velvet and tapestry velvet carpets, figured or plain, printed on the warp or otherwise, and all carpets or carpeting of like character or description, the duty shall be forty per centum ad valorem. "358. On tapestry Brussels carpets, figured or plain, and all carpets or carpeting of like character or description, printed on the warp or otherwise; on treble ingrain, three-ply, and all chain Venetian carpets; on wool Dutch and two-ply ingrain carpets: on druggets and bockings, printed, colored, or otherwise; and on carpets and carpeting of wool or of which wool is the component material of chief value, not specially provided for in this section, the duty shall be thirty per centum ad valorem. "369. Mats, rugs for floors, screens, covers, hassocks, bedsides, art squares, and other portions of carpets or carpeting made wholly of wool or of which wool is the component material of chief value, and not specially provided for in this section, shall be subjected to the rate of duty herein imposed on carpets or carpeting of like character or description. "370. On all manufactures of hair of the camel, goat, alpaca, or other like animal, or of which any of the hair mentioned in paragraph three hundred and sixty form the component material of chief value, not specially provided for in this section, the duty shall be forty-nine per centum ad valorem. "371. Whenever in this Act the word "wool" is used in connection with a manufactured article of which it is a component material, it shall be held to include wool or hair of the sheep, camel, goat, alpaca, or other like animals, whether manufactured by the woolen, worsted, felt, or any other process." Sec. 2. That on and after the day when this Act shall go into effect all goods, wares, and merchandise previously imported and hereinbefore enumerated, described, and provided for, for which no entry has been made, and all such goods, wares, and merchandise previously entered without payment of duty and under bond for warehousing, transportation, or any other purpose, for which no permit of delivery to the importer or his agent has been issued, shall be subjected to no other duty upon the entry or withdrawal thereof than the duty which would be imposed if such goods, wares, or merchandise were imported on or after that date. Sec. 3. That all Acts and parts of Acts in conflict with the provisions of this Act be, and the same are hereby, repealed. This Act shall take effect and be in force on and after the first day of January, nineteen hundred and thirteen. And the Senate agree to the same. O. W. UNDERWOOD, D. W. SHACKLEFORD, Managers on the part of the House. ROBERT M. LA FOLLETTE, J. W. BAILEY, F. M. SIMMONS, Managers on the part of the Senate. |