The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-05-17
The Anti-AIonopolist.

this warm washing process. Potash
is dissolved in water, to increase It's
dissolving and detergent effects; and
the swimming is repeated till the
wool, when squeezed in the hands OF
the attendants, appears TO be fully
cleansed, or Invested of extraneous
matter.
The Learmouths in the Melbourne
district, extensive wOol-groWers OF
over 80 years experience, are most or
chiefly known for their efforts to send
clean wool, and wool only, to market,
by previously submitting it to this
method of thorough cleansing.
The best flock Of sheep in this Aus
trail wool district. produce on an aver
age, it seems, about five pounds OF
unwashed wool; or. as they literally
and truly express it, five pounds per
fleece in the dirt.
When we'll washed, however. the
fieeces shrink so per cent. leaving two
and one-half pounds of clear wool.
As of course wool must be somehow
and somewhere cleasned before its
true weight or value can be ascer-
alton to working up by the manufac-
turer, is it not evidently matter of
public economy to wash itwhen, or as
near where it is produced as possible
1t is easy for the manufacturer to as
certain the quantity Of dirt and degree
of the wool forwarded to market.
''in the dirt" and to govern the
amount of his offers for it according
ly. Only in times of scarcity can the
producer command the market. In
ordinary times and cases the supply
is equal to the demand, and the man.
ufacturer therefore buy at a price
according TO quality. as we sell our
wheat or corn, apples or dairy prod
ucts. Why. then. is itnot the better
way to clean wool, with the same mo-
tives and for the same purpose, name
ly; to get the highest price, and to save
needless labors and charges incident
to handling and transportation, ac-
cOrding to the rules observed III pre-
pairing and forwarding grain, fruit
and dairy products TO market! No
sufficient reason for excepting WOOL
the imaginary interests Of gamblers
being wholly inadmissable-ap appears.
In the case of Australia, for instance,
the shrinkage being one-half the guam
tity Of .'dirt in the WOOL and the
quantity of wool in the dirt are equal.
The fleece, as taken from the Sleeps
back, is by weight one-half dirt, which
is composed mainly of dust, grease,
sweat, etc. But though these sub
stances may be of considerable value,
enough to pay for transporting a dis
lance of fifteen thousand miles to
England, even at water-carriage
freight. Both the manufacturer and
grower being intelligent and just in
their views, the former will give just
twice as much for wool that he k,sofcs
has shrunk one-half, las for similar wool
sin the dirt and the grower, in this
case, loses nothing by washing and
separation of dirt from this wool in
the fleece. But the labor involved in
transporting so great weight of wool
as of dirt, the ship and car room, the
time occupied in handling, the misap-
plication of capital in paying for the
transportation of mere dirt--all these
wasteful expenditures are saved by
"a CpdIlIlS Wooi. hhC OllCi pIOulACto,
where it is produced, and selling at a
price according to quality; and this
rule, the well matured judgment. and
thirty years experience of the Lear
mouths Of Australia has evidently
convinced their judgment, ought to
prevail, both for reasons of sound
public economy, and because the pro-
ducers of wool can sell this as well as
other farm products, at price ac-
cording to quality, if they will but
adapt measures necessary to that OBJ
ject. Ifi manufacturers elsewhere
will not buy on this principle, county
store-rooms can be established, and a
producers circular of sales and prices
also; and if this is not enough, every
comfy, or few counties, can estab-
lish factories, and sell at a small adj
vance on cost of production, to sup
ply the local demand, and sell wool
only where there is surplus beyond
the local consumption. Union and
just cooperation will command a
price commiserate with value, and
when the price accords with intrinsic
or convertible value, fair play pre-
walls. and reason is satisfied.