Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-04-17
THE FIGHT OVER WOOL.

committee Iarin Dill Will be made
on the following paragraph, which
puts wool on the free list:
All wool, hair Of the Alpaca goat
and other like animals, unwashed,
washed or secured, wool on the skin,
wooden rags, shoddy, mungo, waste
aud flocks.
Messrs. Tichnor and Tingle, in
their admirable history Of the tariff
legislation upon wool, show that
sheep were brought to this country
rs early as 1910; that laws to en-
courage sheep raising were enacted
in Massachusetts, in 1915, and as
early as 1916 it was written that
New England abounds with Sheep"
In 1914 the first official estimate of
the production of wool was made,
and it was estimated at from Is, 000,-
600 to 1000, 900 pounds. Wool was
free until 1916, when it became duty
at 10 per cent. nd valorem as a
non-enumerated article. 1t was not
made dutiable by name until the
act Of May %, 1924.
By this act manufactured wool,
the actual value of which at the
place whence imported did not ex.
coed ten cents per pound, was made
dutiable at L. per cent. ad valorem
until June 1882; thereafter at 30
per cent. ad valorem.
OTHER CHANGES OF THE PAST.
In 1928 still higher rate Of duty
was placed on manufactured wool,
namely: Four cents per pound
and 40 per cent. ad valorem until
June 80, 1929 and thereafter annu-
ally an additional duty of per cent.
ad valorem until such ad valorem
duty should reach 80 per cent. On
low priced wool this rate was equal
20 100 per cent. ad valorem. Wool
on the skin was made dutiable at
the same rate as other imported
wool. Under these acts the produc-
ton Of wool in the United States
had increased to 100000 pounds
annually in 1881.
In 1882 another change was made,
and under the provision of this act
manufactured wool of the value
at the place of expectation, not ex-
ceeding eight cents per pound was
admitted free of duty. All wool ex-
ceeding eight cents per pound in
value was dutiable at four cents per
pound and 40 per cent. ad valorem.
This provision for the free admis-
sion of the lower grades Of wool was
continued in an act passed in 1888,
while all wool above the value Of
eight cents per pound was made du-
table at four cents per pound and
So per cent. al valorem, the latter
duty to be gradually reduced to 26
per cent. ad valorem in 1912.
NO ONE AS RECKLESS AS MORRISON.
1t will be seen here that our leg
islators were not reckless enough to
propose, as Mr.. Morrison does, a
sudden abandonment of all protec-
tion on wool. From the time of the
reduction of duty the production of
wool seems to have decreased, and
the amount of the annual product
in 1910 was 42,SO2, la pounds, in
stead of 100000, as it was estima-
ted in 1882.
The act OF August 80, 1912, i'm
posed a duty on coarse unmanufac-
tured wool of the value of seven
cents per pound, or under, of per-
cent. ad valorem, and on all other
manufactured wool of three cents
per pound and 80 per cent. ad val
orem. 1t was found that the act
of 1882, making coarse woods free
had worked great injury to our
sheep husbandry, because the pro-
vision in regard to low grade of
woods was freely taken advantage
of by the introduction of large guam
titles OF fine wool duty free.
Then came the so-caIled Walker
tariff of July 30, 1916, which made
all manufactured woods dutiable
at 80 per cent. ad valorem, Thibet
and goats hair at 20 per cent. ad
yalorem. During this period of tar
if tinkering but little progress was
made in the production of wool, the
total production in 1850 as officially
only 62,515,969 pounds as against
100000 in 1881, just prior to the
act making coarse woods free.
The act of 1857 practically made
wool free, for it included in the free
list all wool valued at 20 cents per
pound or less at the port of exporta.
ton. Sheep husbandry struggled
along as best it could under this adj
verse legislation, and the census of
1860 officially reported 72,571343
pounds of wool as the product for
that year. Here, then, is an in
crease from 1881 to 1860 of but 3d.
571,343 pounds, and during this
4 Il u - n IL l. 4 4.