Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-02-17
IMPoRrArIoNs or FoREIGN WOOL.


Editor Star. You publish in the Star of Thurs-
day statement predicated on the "Report OF
Hon. Isaac Newtos. Commissioner" &C.. in
aFrom the report Of Hon. Isaac Newton,
Commissioner OF the Bureau OF Agriculture.
for January we learn at ~ .ne , decrease IN I'M
GA pounds, which the Commissioner notes az
a gratifyin fact, because il shows the progress
that is made in supplying the domestic wants
of the country in commodity so essential to
its wants and comfort. There was an increased
importation of wooden goods during the year
1s65, amounting to t4,632,6so."
fying" in such a statement. What does it
anount to when analyzed7 First. That while
there seems to be a reduction in the importation
OF rae material useless under all umstan ces
except when mar ufactured) amounting to less
laccording to the Treasury valuationt than
S3OW,OOO, there was an increased importation
OF wooden fabrics to the amount of si-65:.6s0.
but, Mr.. Editor. it is very dangerous TO predi-
cate representations of progress" upon = sin
gle years development, especially when one
takes the first year Of peace and compares it
with the last year of war. This will be appa-
rent when i state a fact or two:
The number Of pounds Of duty paying wool
imported in 1850 was 81 ,e93 Total value of all
wool imported, S4,44s,OOo. Imported in 1860,
1857 600 do in 1861, 5J6, 100 do in 1864, 81
49,, and its value SASS, 49,.
Now, if the amount Of duty. paying wool i'm Z.
ported has increased from less than two mil.
lion pounds in 1850 to eighty seven millions in
1864, and if the amount of imports Of wool in
1863 and 1854 amounted to one-third the value
of all the wool imported for the past twenty
four years, would be glad to understand the
principle upon which it Is gratifying TO realize
that, while we are increasing in the importa-
ton Of woollen fabrics at the rate of more than
S4,0CO,0CO per annun we have at the same time
imported more wool than we did in 1869 by
fifty million pounds. If such is the sort OF
progress we are making, the country will soon
the truth is, no man entitled TO the least claim
to statistical knowledge would put forth such
representations for purposes of comparison or
felicitation. Mr.. Newton, at page sixteen of
his bi-monthly report on agriculture for Jan.
uary and February, 1864, gives I" the wool crop
In the loyal States" at 109 $40 pounds, being
the production of all the States according to
the census Of 1860, while he places "the gen.
eral increase" at l0s, 100000 pounds; and graft
hcation is now expressed that in addition to
this vast amount Of alleged production we only
imported the same year q little more than our
entire product in 1850. In other words, it is
made source of agreeable reflection that,
while IN leS0 we produced sixty millions OF
pounds and imported to the amount Of only
five millions of dollars, In 1864, with produ CT
enlarged to one hundred and nine millions of
increase of one hundred and two millions, we
import more than sixty five million pounds OF
the raw material, and increase our imports OF
woollen fabrics well on to s5,ooo.oOo. This is
far from cheering. SOUTHDOwN
We give place to the above communication
coming from a correspondent familiar with the
subject of which he treats, but are forced to
differ from him in some of his conclusions
We grant that it is not always safe to sspredi-
cate representations of a progress upon single
years development" but il we understand the
Commissioner Of Agriculture, the decrease OF
importation during the first year Of peace -
compared with "the last year of the war" is
the very fact that he considers gratifying, rs
showing the 'progress" made in that short time
towards restoring the wool interests to peace
footing, the war having intsrfered with wool
raising as with other industrial pursuits