Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-07-19
AUSTRALIAN WOODS.
A Valuable Report From a Consul At New
South Wales

A Valuable Report From Consul at New
south wales.
WASHINGTON, July 16.-An interest
ing report upon Australian wocls, re-
Gently received st the State Department
from G. W. Griffin, United Ststes Consul
at Sydney, New South Wales, gives some
significant facts and figures bearing d.
rectly upon the present discussion OF the
wool schedule In the House and sustaining
fully the arguments advanced by MIR.
Mills in his famous spe sch in opening the
debate. Mr.. Griffin Gays that, owing to
the high protective duty, the demand Tor
gools suited to the American market 10
extremely limited, only about ], 200 bales
having been purchased for export TO the
United States at the fall sales in London
in October last. The direct export to the
United States from Sydney during the
whole season of 1867 consisted OF but
4S6 bales, though the woods shipped TO the
American markets are far superior to those
exported in any previous season.
1t il maintained that these woods Will
not come into direct competition with
woods of American growth, but as Dir.
Mills has held, being Of finer texture,
can be ussd to mix with :be American
product In the mauufac; ure OF q igrade oil
1oollsns which no attempt IL now made
10 produce, thus eDlarging the field Tor
American enterprise. Thus Australian
woods are described as being well grown,
bright. soft and extremely light In condi-
ton, the very perfection Of high merino,
and specially adapted TO the American
market; Mr.. Griffin has forwarded to
the National Museum at Washington
collection of interesting samples represent
ing every grade of Australian wool suited
TO the American market, accompanied oy
descriptive list giving many statistics OF
value to American manufacturers and
wool-growers. -,
After calling attention to the rapid
growth of the wool-msnuiacturing indus
| try in this country and the necessity for
large supply of the raw material to keep
mace with the demand, Mr.. Griffin makes
The assertion that in the United States
there was from 1884 to 1887 decrease In
the production of wool amounting to 23,-
600 600 pounds. With regard to the reas-
ons for It's reduction Mr.. Griffin says:
'In 1910 the sheep in the United States
numbered about IS, 900, 900. lu 1850 the
number had increased to IS, 0C0 600, but
in 1910 the bulk of the sheep were gEaZsd
in the New England aud Eastern States and
none in the Southern aud Western States.
In 1890 the Southern and Western StaUs
erszsd one-third Of the whoia number
while the New England and Eastern Stans
oply grazsd half the number they had IN
1910. The highest point was reached IN
1884, when the number Of sheep was 90
900. 900. OF that number more than half
were prazed 10 Southern and Western
States, and only 8, OOO, 600 in New England
and the Eastern States, showing that the
increasing population drove the shesp out
of the Eastern and New England States
toward the more sparsely settled Southern
and Western States and territories, the
land being required where population was
dense for agriculture and being too dear to
profitably Craze sheep.
'Since 1884 even the Southern and
Western States sem to have become I'M
able TO sustain their former nnmber, the
result being the total number Of sheep IN
the United States has decreased from 1854
to 1887 by about 6,0C0, 900. As the popu-
lation of the United States Is increasing
very rapidly (the annual increase being
estimated ut nearly 10000 and con-
tinually pushing ont West and South, 1t Is
| not unreasonable to suppose that the re-
duction in the number Of sheep which has
been going on in the New England and
Eastern States hiss now set in in the West
and South
Mr. Griffin cites recent reports OF the
United States Bureau of Statistics to show
that the demand has more than kept pace
with the supply, and that at the present
time manufacturers are back of stocks.
This further points Mr.. Mills argument IN
favor of the importations of such woods as
cannot proftably be raised in this country,
Thus furnishing raw material to the many
wool manufacturing establishments which
have been compelled to shut down under
the existing high tariff, throwing thou
sands Of operatives ont Of employment,
particularly in the New England districts.
| Mr.. Griffin SAYS the absurd quarantine
regulations against American stock have
been lately repealed in most of the colo
ries. The sbsurdi.y of the regulations, he
says, should be apparent to every one, "a 1t
/ is well known in Australia that not only
sheep, bnt stock of all kinds are in much
better condition in the United States than