The evening Argus., 1867-03-06
How wooI-crowers are Protected

Ihc w0Ol-tarln Dill, SO-cdhcu, WHICH mas
passed both houses of congress, has been
represented in certain quarters as a measure |
intended to protect the interests Of American /
eign woods, and TINS enabling the American |
producer to command higher price for his |
product in the home market.
] The bin, for the purpose of fixing the du-
lies, divides wool into three classes, designat-
ed, respectively, as ssclothing woods, !" sscomb-
ING woods" and ~carpet wools." On woods
of the FIRST class, the vaiue of which at the
slsst port of shipment shall be 81 cents, or
less, per pound, the duty is fixed at 10 cents
per pound, and, in addition, IL per cent. ad
ralorcps. If the value at the port of ship
ment shall exceed % cents per pound, the
duty is II cents per pound and 10 per cent.
ad pdlorem. The previous duty on woods Of
| this class was 10 cents per pound and 10 per
cent. ad ralorem, when the export value was
| from "a to 50 cents per pound, and the same
as now fixed for woods of higher value than
| 80 cents. 5sssfas sea 20 Sci -
The duty on woods of the second class is
| fxed, in accordance with the same range Of
values, at the same rates as on woods OF the
| first class. This class of woods also came
4 under the same rates as those of the first
4 class under the old Law. 7Sss
On wools of the third class, the export
value of which did not exceed IL cents per
pound, the duty is fixed at cents per pound.
lExceeding the export value OF IL cents per
/ pound, the duty is cents per pound. These
are precisely the same rates that were liked
/ before.
ANY wool the value of which is reduced
from higher to lower grade, by admixture
of dirt, or other device to evade the law, Is
required to pay double the duties of the class
to which it is thus reduced. The old Law
fixed the duty on such wool at 10 per cent.
Wool imported secured is required to pay
twice the amount of duty to which it would
be subjected if imported unwashed.l Under
the old law. it was required to pay three
. times the amount of such duties.
IL will be perceived that the increase o
duties on unmanufaetured wool provided by
this, bill Is so extraerdiaarily minute as to b
| scarcely perceptible to ordinary human vi
sion. How much additional protection it i
intended to give to American oolgrowerf
may be judged from the fact that-th quail
ties of wool mostly produced In this countr.
are those upon which no change is made il
the duty, and, at the same time, are thos
which are most largely imported The WOO
imported in 1866, the value of which was l.
cents per pound or less at the port of export
| Il 4.
between II and "a cents per pound, the am
| ount imported in 1866 was $5,705, ,293.-
| While the total amount of WOOL valued a
!, over "a cents per pound, imported in 1S6t
f was only $153,3T4. That is, the interests c
| American wool-growers are protected" b
= | increasing the duty on foreign woods whicl
do not come in competition with America
J grades.
i On manufactures of wool, the bill tells
/ very different story. The duty on woole
| cloths of all kinds is raised from "a cents
pound and per cent. ad ratorem 10 5
g cents a pound and 35 per cent. ad palereD
l. The average increase on all other manufat
lures of wool is in similar proportion Th
home manufacturer of WOODEN goods is thu
: supplied with additional protection agains
b the foreign manufacturer, by being allowe
$ to add the difference between the present an
| the previous duty to the price of his manr
, faetures, while the cost of materials is nc
increased to him in the slightest degree. IL
y is still able to import wool from abroad a
C the same rate of duty as heretofore, and a
ter he has converted it into cloth, or flannel
or carpeting, is enabled to demand from th
neighbering farmers and store keepers
a higher price than formerly for these fabrics
: But if the neighbaring farmers expee. hi,
. to purchase their crop of wool, they must OF
fer it at the old price, at which the tariff law
; now, as heretofore, enables him to impor
y all the wool he wants from Asia, Africa o
South America.
This is precisely the way in which the new
wool tariff act is intended to protect the Am
1 eriean wool-grower. It is kind OF protee
t ton from which American wool-growers may
e and win before they are done with it, pra
81 fervently to be delivered Chicago Times