Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-29
TIE WOOL INDUSTRY.
SHOULD 1T BE PROTECTED OR
DESTROYED!
Upon the Subject By Well
Qualified Authority.

Washington Belt, of New York, whose
ability to speak upon the subject will not
be question, even by frse-traders, says:
careful estimate places the number of
wool-growers in the United States at about
700 600, and fully 100000 men are en-
ployed by them to assist in caring for their
1ocks and doing other farm labor. ma
iority Of these fock-masters, as well as
their employed help, are beads of families
therefore, il you add to their number. their
wives, children and other dependents, you
will have population OF at least 4, 600 900
persons more or less interested in the grow
ing of wool or about one-fifteenth of the
entire population of the United States
There are no doubt fully 10000 other
farmers who keep small number of sheep,
but these could not be fairly classed as
growers of wool.
These seven hundred thousand farmers
will average 10 own or possess al least one
hundred and sixty acres of lanG 54ch-
making & total of one hundred and twelve
million acres-devoting the more desirable
parts OF their farms TO the raising OF grain.
hay, etc. "a good share Of which is required
for the feeding of their horses, cattle, hogs
and sheep during the winter season., and
selecting the poor, rough and hilly portions
for the pasturing OF their sheeD-thUs
putting to profitable use their entire farms.
The number of sheep in the United States
is now estimated at titIy million head. and
the crop OF wool a. about three hundred
and fifty million p0uAis, worth oa the
average OF last years prices about tyeafY-
two cents-making the total value of the
wool crop OF the country seVenty-seyen
million dollars.
There are sold annually for export and
home consumption from thirteen TO fifteen
million of sheep for their mutton, bringing
on an average about 50 per head making
the total value of wool and mutton sold
each season about $122 000,000
If you remove the duty from wool, and
so make the growing of it an improbable
business, it would render almost valueless
the portions Of these farms devoted to
sheep-raisng, and thereby would decrease
the average price of the whole farm at least
81 so an acre, making a loss from this
source alone of $3.50 100000.
Sheep would also decrease in value 90
cents a head, making another shrinkage
of S25 100000.
Wool would decline from seven 10 eight
cents per pound from the average price of
the last fifteen years-adding another loss
OF S25, ,0O0 600, and the farmers would be so
impoverished by the low prices obtainable
for their wool that out of actual necessity
they would be compelled to reduce the
wages of these 100000 persons employed TO
assist in the caring of their fccks and the
doing of other farm labor to the extent of
at least fifteen cents per day, or about $50
per year; making still further loss of
$25, 100000 from this source alone.
Now, for the sake of reducing our reye-
nue. between $5,000,000 and $6000,000, we
must virtually lmpoverish one-ffteenth OF
the entire population of the United States,
and SO force this large body of people to fol-
low business that will yield no profit, and
compel them to raise wool in competition
with all the poor and poverty-stricken ma
tions on the earth, where land and labor
are fully one-half less than in this country;
and in doing this we infict upon this most
honorable and respected American indus
try the following losses:
Shrinkage in the value of lands S2S1 600 0O0