TARIFF SCHEDULES. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., Hon. Oscar W. Underwood in the chair. Present: Messrs. Harrison, Shackleford, Kitchin, James, Rainey, Dixon, Hull, Peters, Payne, Hill, Needham, Longworth. SCHEDULE A-CHEMICALS, OILS, AND PAINTS. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. The clerk will dispense with the roll call. I desire to say to the gentlemen in the audience that we will be here about 30 days, and as smoke is sometimes disagreeable to some of the people present, I will ask that there be no smoking in the room during the hearings. The first witness we have on the list for the hearings to-day on the chemical schedule will be Mr. A. H. Weed. Is Mr. Weed present? RAW AND FINISHED CHEMICALS. STATEMENT OF MR. HENRY HOWARD, CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS' ASSOCIATION. Mr. HOWARD. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Weed is secretary of the Manufacturing Chemists' Association, and he can not attend. I am appearing for the executive committee, being chairman of the executive committee. My name is Henry Howard. The CHAIRMAN. Henry Howard? Mr. HOWARD. Henry Howard. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Howard, the committee will be glad if you can make your statement in 15 minutes. Mr. HOWARD. I can easily do that. In view of the fact that the Manufacturing Chemists' Association of the United States has been assigned among the first to be heard at the opening hearing of your committee on January 6, it is perhaps proper that this association should first raise the question of the best method of procedure with respect to all investigations regarding Schedule A, to the end that the true conditions of the chemical industry may be fairly and accurately ascertained. Furthermore, this association must necessarily confine itself to the broad question of the character and method of investigation, as the association has not the available data necessary to enable it to speak 3 |