The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-10-04
TT. BELL, Editor and Proprietor.

| HHu tIdt the dinOunt imported OF dutIable
wool, though not much over half million of
pounds per annum, has gradually increased
during the last four years,-being,
In 1888 417,237 pounds.
1889 1864
I 1910 594,74S
lS4l 596,646
1t thus appears that though the importa-
lions have been ''smaIl," they have been
gradually increasing, notwithstanding the
diminished consumption of wool BY our en-.
feebled manufacturing establishments.
If, however, II be admitted that the guam
tity imported has been "too small to affect
the general price. the inference which the
chairman of the Ways and Means would
draw from it, namely, that the 30 per cent
duty in this bill is sufficient protection
! by no means follows. 1t should be remem-
bered that the comparatively small impor.
tatlons of wool were during period of great
! depression of our woollen establishments,
owing TO the arrangement of our currency,
a general shaking of confidence, and de.
cending duty on woollens, aggravated by
! frauds in their valuations. The effect of
all this was, of course, a diminished demand
for wool,--a elimination which, while il
invited but a limited importation from "a
broad, left the production of our own flocks
to accumulate TO a complete glut of our
market. The duty on wool, moreover. du-
ring those years was from 0 TO II per cent
higher than this bill proposes Ii is very
evident that we cannot reason from such a
state of things to future, in which The
woollen manufacture shall revivc-as we
may hope it will, under the provisions of
this bill, fdirly erecuted-and in which, the
demand for wool shall of course, be incrca-
sed. No body can expect that such an in
creased demand will not, under dimin-
ished duty of 10 to IL l-2 per cent be sup
piled from abroad, to an extent very far
exceeding the importations of the last few
years. 1t would, surely, be most incongru-
Gus protective Legislation, to increase the de-
mand for wool, and at the same time invite
the supply Of it from abroad by diminishing
the duty. Equal justice demands that,
while we stimulate the manufacture of wool
by duty OF 40 per centwe give the benefit
of that stimulus to our own, wool growers,
by an equal duty.
But there is another view Of this subject.
The dufiable wool imported averaging for
the last four years, but little over half a
million of pounds-is not the only wool
which is to be taken into this account. Ii
should embrace all wool which is of fine
ness to come in competition with our own
and a considerable amount of such wool has
been lately introduced, duty free. by pro-
cocC which / will ,1rOoool 70 h.
By the tariff Of 1882, wool, the value of
which, at the place of expectation, should
not exceed eight cents per pound, was to be
admitted free of duty. The intention of
this provision, as all know who were famil-
lar with the history of its introduction into
the act, was to admit free of duty, coarse
wool which did not come in competition ,cith
The pool of our own focks. The word
coarse, however, was not used in The act.
The question as to the quality Of the wool
TO be admitted free of duty, was left 20 de-
pend entirely on lis "value at the place of
expectation" 1t was supposed that wool
which should really cost eight cents or I'M
der, must, of necessity, be so coarse as not
to compete with the productions Of our own
hocks. Its admission therefore free of du-
ty, was permitted, for the sake of encoura-
ging the manufacture of coarse cloths,
carpets &c. which would. otherwise, be
supplied to US by foreign manufacturers, for
the benefit of foreign capital and labor.
| Such was the intention of Congress.
That intention has, to some extent, been
defeated-first by the general reduction in
the price of foreign wool, which has thrown
below the eight cents point, wool which
! formerly ranged Immediately above it and
second, and more especially, by such a
change in sheep husbandrv in South Amer
lea, as TO produce wool of considerable
fineness at an expense no greater than was
formerly incurred in the production of Goa -Se
wool. This operation has taken place prln-
cipaIly in Buenos Ayres. | have before
me specimens of wool imported from that
country duty free, which are of fneness
equal TO much of the half blood mesino of
our own focks, and some even of highe:
grades. This is not the wool of the native
South American sheep, but is produced by
crossings of that breed with the full blooded
merino.
Information having been communicated
to me that these crossings had been effected
by merino bucks exported from the United
States, | have examined the custom house
returns of our exports, to see whether they
would throw any light on the subject. L
have looked through the returns for the last
ten years, especially in reference to Buenos
Ayres, from whence the principal part of
the fine wool, admitted duty free, because
costing less than eight cents, has been jim
ported-and find that the only exports of
sheep to that country during that period,
were in the years 1887 and 80, as follows.
1897 800 sheep-value SOCIOLOGICAL to $50. each
1888 sol g 1865 o''o. eacn
The value ofthese 100 sheep. thus sent
to Buenos Ayres, shows, concluslvely, that
they were merino bucks. The purpose OF
sending them cannot be mistaken; and the
results, or rather specimens of them, | now
hold in my hand being the specimens which
r. al u&-~l