New-York tribune., 1871-12-26
THE WOOL INDUSTRY.
THE SYRACUSE CONVENTION.
rIRM RESOLVE TO MAINTAIN THE WOOL rARr'

| fIhM RESOLFE TO MAINTAIN THE WOOf. TARfFp
AS 1T R-ExTRAORDINARY PROGRESS or
| TIE INDUSTRY UNDER PROTECTION-CUR-
| RENT FREE TRADE PALACES REfUTED.
| IpRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBusYI
SYRACUSE, Dec. 23.-The Convention of
Wool Growers and Manufacturers which has just b,sn
held here Possessed with interest
| to the entire American A"opc II formed srItfying
demonstration in favor of Protection; It elected import
ant facts regarding the progress OF the wool Industry
and above ali, cordially flied the light OF practical
experience the union formed therein ak year, ago.
based upon the conviction that the interest, OF
ture and manufactures are imperfect harmony Alarmed
| by the nsidious aud powerful at work to over
throw Protection the wool industry sent its acs,
svcrxpresson TO the general sentiment regard tho
threatened hostile action 81 Congress- Tho growers ia
New England tho Western States reprcsentsd
by men or extensive experience including Of the
principal woOlgOwers OF Vermont AMI tho President OF
| tho Wool Growers Association OF OHIO CalIfOrns.
which has attained annual product Of 23y0Vp.OD
pounds, represented by Mr. Flint, who. beside being
owner OF 2brb sheep sends annually upward o 6's0.U0
pounds OF wo)l from California to the Eastern S'at"s
Our State hal veteran woogrOwer, among itd
representatives. inclutng tho Hon Henry :. R,nliIi.
the President OF the National wOolGrowcr, h.-ocis
toD aud the Hon George Geddes. the able writer upon
practical agriculture THO great wooden manu,cu rers
Of New England tho entorprisng pioneers the woOen
dsry in the West and Northwest and the progressive
Vool.workers Of California and Oregon all repre-
sntcd by deeg tcs whose position, cypeIicnce and d.
rect interest in the industry invested them with truly
representative character. Considering that the annual
product of two great primary branci"' n the wool
distry upward OF SC00OO0O. and that this great Jor
ton OF the national wealth IL created by tho labor Of
large number of work people in varIous capacitie tho
Convention must be regarded as very important asscin
bage aud entitled respectful consideration from Con
gres which longer plead ignorance as al excuse
for giving tolerance 10 veX3tious demands.
The condition the wool industry before the protective
tariff of 1861 and progress under the bcacfcrn' nh
ence of that and the succeeding measure in 1877. aro
clearly described in the admirable address which tho
Convention adopted unanimously. In tn" light Of tho
nformsionft gives the attempted reduction of the dn
tie, on and woorns will appear to every impartial
nj nj az Oucc unwarrantcd and mcddlcs0inc
TIE WOOL INTEREST IN DASGLR.
The rebellion which impcrilcd national integrity
created state OF things which placed the exIstcnc" o
the wool industry in the greatest danger Tho "iir'ss
thu, describes tho influence Of tue dir!h o cotton on
the production Of wool:
The scarcity cotton caed by the war, created An
extraordinary demand thiouGlout tho world oI wo3en
fabrics, which came largely into ~" where r1ton hsi
the demand clothing here. Wa. 70 stimulate u
an excessive degree the grcwng anI ims & o.
pursued. The increase was especially m,rKcd III rue
"rno woo which peTanry cHirpy" ar %'n "a" soT ,n
the houndcls lands of the countries Of the southern
e,inbIirhrd permitted The cunr Of hes" woos to b,
xp,ndrd Without limit. TIE incrra,c IN tho
parallel in any period In AI.t,ala the progress
from ,2oJ~0 pounds tn l51s 10 6,avo l,'imi, IN
iooNo ponni- increase OF 81 per cent; IN La i'tts
from 6o"0Dj round' to iso0t'W p"nn1 an I'D. tras' M
9c' yer cent WITH the restoration Of ,ls cotton supply
at tlr -! the the cxccpt!"na drnad 'p woIi
c,si % per cent The prices continued to fan until that
a,erasr sheep i'll south Anclra td drgii'd % nio,i
slaughtered for the wool on their pcl' condition
things Improbable that II had not been provided or
f thn crrasr Of our own prediction In
1864 we import g0G0O0D pounds In 1885, even with tho
| decline In the prod heon OF wo,eh goods, oo.VoVW
pS SdS but three fSo cents per pound the imports
United States from the two great compIns sn1;
Ss bales from Bneno. Ayre and 1 bales from tho
Cape of Good Hone In 1868 after the wool tarfof 1T
., from Buenos Xyres and bales from tie Cape 9t
YS1 90 IL p . nnd 1 dnr pG ms soSad in 1 ac
uvy. Ii would be waste or words 10 argue tc rnte1
With the countries Of the southern hemisphere 50 9ver
stocked with sheep that millions were tea O OF
skin wool, sprung into existence with cost o Trans
es epern1e @ s0 o pS per- how
would it have been possible for sheep husbandrg to
sTs nd SHir ali c %HT Sef for SGs % he
out OF an advanced cIviiizationf
AVERAGE PRICES OF WOOL BEFORE THE WAR
Interesting facts bearing upon the same point wcre
given in Mr Rands's opening address including tho
prices of American wool before the and tho
cost Of South American product. lie said
The annual imports from Buenos Ay'. which down to
1852 had fallen short Of 6000 pounds suddenly rOse -
upward OF 100000 pounds. and IN 1854 It suddenly
reached nearly 2iyOOO0O pounds. The annu,l import
from the British possess In Africa from less than
pounds in io62 to nearly 1iOooooo pounds In 1854.
The highest annual cost at place fexpOrt Of these
Bucnos Ayrcs wooN-Mestiza woods. as they known
in commece-duringour war was IN 1854 and 1t was but
Isl cents per pound IN gold. Il shall he understood as
hereafter speaking OF all money III gold uns otherwise
exprcssed) Before the war these woods had averaged
hui per pound The circumstances Of low priced
land and labor and pasturage through the year. which
Dor enS cnsnp EXPENSE %e OF aspor
these woods was SIS; cents per pound Tho
duty under the tariff of 1861 on wool, costing less than
ls cents per pound at place of export cont ad
yalorem. less than cent pound on Mcstna wo0ls
Thus when wOOls were exceptionally high in Buehos
Ayres they could be delivered with all charges paid in
NewYok at tr1e over II cents per pound AT ordinary
home prices they could 10 delv red at 10 cents per
pound. They were imported IN the DIRT, were often
bury and owing the weakness Of their hber lost much
in the processes of manufacture that two pounds as
twelfth pounds OF American clothing wool IN average
condition. Put in the same condition with the latter.
they stood the American manufacturer ID about 20 ccns
Now what the Of growing clothing wools in
anterior the war Tie average prices at which Wool
sold In markets from 1927 tO lS6l inclusive, was 6O3
cents for coarse. The fine and medium qualities (Which
c0rresponded with Mesza wOOla averaged 4Gt cents
The statistics Of the iead @ clearly 10 nS pa
mneratye. From lSi0 to 1860 sheep only Increased W
per cent in numbers while our popIiaton oaM e
than doubled These facts do not indicate avery hour
The war which opened in 1861 about doubled tl~ cost
labor subsistence, increased direct ana ndrrct
taxation, and enhanced the prices 1t al sne ar.n @
spOndihgly raised the cost of that production BuchoS
Ayres and other countries With the devciopment
i'm wool production they subsequently attained, might
have competed ruinousy with us before the war; alter
the latter produced s effects and the foreign supply OK
wool became sufficient nothing prevented the atter rom
driving from mar kets but tue aversion oi o