FOREIGN ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL POLICY SOL

of digests on each possible import concession, prepared by the Tariff
Commission. The latter contain background information and the
judgments of the Tariff Commission, acting as a body, as to the
probable effects of tariff concessions. | |
In acting upon these questions, the Committee has invariably fol-
lowed the rule of avoiding recommendations which involved a threat
of serious injury for any domestic industry. In general no concession
has been recommended where an industry seems to be a declining one,
especially where the present duty is moderate. Further, the Com-
mittee has endeavored to keep before it the importance of avoiding
concessions on products which constitute the sole income of the com-
munities in which they are produced and of avoiding an undue
impact upon employment and income in any one region through
the cumulative effect of concessions on different products. Where there |
appeared to be danger of such effects, recommendations for reductions
in tariffs, if any, are for moderate reductions. For example, in the
case of lace, although the rate could, legally, be reduced from the pres-
ent 75 per cent ad valorem to 45 per cent, the Committee reeommenda-
tion is for a rate of 65 per cent on the most competitive products. In
addition, some concessions have not been recommended in order to
save bargaining power for use in possible later negotiations with an
important secondary supplier. Especial care has been exercised to
save concessions for possible negotiations with Switzerland. _
Important commodities on which no new concession is recommended,
for reasons falling within the categories described above, are ground-
fish fillets, surgical instruments, shotguns, and leather gloves. On other
important goods in this class the recommendation is merely to bind
an existing rate which would otherwise be increased as the result of
the lapse of earlier bilateral trade agreements. These include filberts
and lead. The recommendation on potatoes is also one which does not
lower the duty or increase the quantity of low-duty imports at times
when potatoes are in surplus. These examples of care to avoid injury
are all, of course, in addition to items omitted from the published
lists because no basis existed for considering a possible concession. |
The question of possible serious injury has been handled with
special attention where the security interests of the United States
are involved, and it should be noted that there are no dissents by the ©
Defense representative, who has participated fully in all of the work
oftheCommittee. = a
Notwithstanding the care which has been exercised in preparing
these recommendations, there may be considerable domestic con-
troversy concerning the concessions proposed on a number of items, the
most important of which are discussed in Annex VI or, if a dissent is
involved, in Annex IT. |