The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-01-18
An Abstract of Wool Tariff Acts Since
the Adoption Ofthe Constitution.

A correspondent of the National
St0chmaR writes as follows upon the
above topic:
The first tariff act was passed July
4th, 1889, with the following preamble:
WHEREAS, 1t is necessary for the sup
port OF government, for the discharge
of debts and for the encouragement of
manufactures, that duties be levied OH
goods and wares imported, etc.
This act did not include wool, as it
was not grown Cat least Merino WOODY
at that time.
Wool continued free of duty under
the first Is different tariff acts of Con-
gress, up to 1924, We would note
here that up to 1910 there had been
imported into the United States about
$1,000 Merino sheep under the stimulus
given by the war of 1912, to the trade
OF the country. The embargo laid on
foreign commerce shutting off foreign
goods in measure, and very much
increasing the demand at home, wool
raising at once became very profitable.
Merino bucks were sold at 81 900, and
other stock in proportion.
But at the close of the war the country
was overwhelmed by an importation of
$4,000, 900 worth of wooden and cotton
goods,so destroying sheep husbandry
that at one establishment alone 1000
MerinOs were killed for their pelts,
their fleeCes not being worth the eX-
pense of their keeping. This led to the
act of lSl6, in which tariff of 20 per
cent was placed on wooden and cotton
fabrics, the first nowledgement of
the necessity of protective tariff by spe-
cific duty on goods. 1t was a necessity
TO preserve the lite OF the few manu-
featuring establishments left in the
country by the existence of the war of
1912.
This act of 1916 partially preserved
the wool industry, rs the factories were
protected in part, and could pay Il
moderate price for good clean wool
Many old men yet living can remember
the terrible depression in the indus
tries of the country from 1878 to 1924 .
which compelled the country TO resort
to protective system of duties, and
the passage of the protective tariff act
of May p, 1924. In it wool first re-
ceiyed national recognition and pro-
lection. by it a duty of 20 per cent
0d caiOrem was impO- ed until June | q,
1928; then duty OF Is per cent. nd ra-
loren to the first day of June, 1926 :;
afterward duty OF 30 per cent. dd ra-
IOrem, except on wool costing less than
10 cents per pound, on which the duty
was to be 10 per cent. I'D CuiOren, and
no more. A moderate increase was
made by the same tariff on wool.n
goods imported, which at once led to
the erection of wooden mills to an ex-
tent never attempted before, and to an
Increase IN the importation and breed
ing of the Spanish Merino sheep, which
at that time was pursued on an eXteu-
sive scale in all the Eastern States.
According to an estimate made by
Nj ssrs. Benton and Bar Y, in 1884,
the Eastern States, including New
York, had three times as many sheep
as they now have.
This gave the industry such an i'm.
portance in that part of the country,
which at that time had the balance of
power in Congress, that they were en-
abled to secure the extraordinary pro-
lection given to wool bV the tariff of
1928. BY the act of May 10, 1928, a spe-
cific duty of 4 cents per pound, and 40
per cent. al r0lorem was placed until
the 3Oth of June, 1929, after which an
additional ad rdiorem duty of ) per
cent. annually was imposed until il
should reach 80 per cent. Here we
have duty OF cents per pound spe-
cific and 80 dd calOren, the highest
duty ever imposed on wool, and the
Iame also on wooden goods.
The influence on public prosperity is
historical. BY it both the agricultural
and manufacturing interests of the nat
ional wool industry were satisfied.