The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-16
TIE PRODUCTION OF WOOL.
There Is Tendency to Carry the Industry to
the West-What Free Trade Would Do.

The report that Indianapolis dealers are in any
way overbid By foreigners in the purchase of
wool Isaac Thalman pronouncas untrue On
the contrary there in hardly any interference in
this markets at all by people at distance This
in due to the fact that 80 good price is paid
here as anywhere, and conseque ntly there is no
inducements for people 70 sell to dealers ontsde
the State. I'VE buy" said he 'sali the wool we
can get here in Indiana, and then 20 over into
adjoining States and get more. AS time goes
on We shall have to rely more and more on ship
ping in from distance
"How do you make that outf" the reporter in
quirsd.
"WeIl, the tendency 10 to crowd the sheep in
dustry further west as our States settled.
Il takes a great deal of pasture for sheep. and
to devote to it. It can be used In other ways to
make more money So, eventually, it must be
confined TO land that can not be profitaby used
for anything else. Colorado and Montana will
be great wool-growing States in the future"
Is the industry. then, on the decline In In
dianal"
II do not know that there 10 much of de-
cline. Still there is certainly no growth in it.
In my Judgment it will grow less from now on.
However. the quality of wool in this State is as
good as that of any State 10 the Union For
merry Kentucky wool was regarded as superior
article but it Is not to-day. Indiana wool
will bring good price in the East as wool
from Kentucky. Our combing wool is as good
you iud anywhere"
.'Is there . difference in the wool of each
stasei"
There is radical difference in the quality of
some woods. That from Colorado and Montana
is hard and dry; il lacks the softuess and fine
ness that we have in Indiana This is due, as
judge, to the soil. You see there Is something
in the akaIi of those States that aosorbs all the
grease that is kept in the wool in our State.
making 1t, as / said, dry and hard. have
known a hundred pounds OF wool from Colorado
- ~~~ - - IL
SEQ how that alkali dust is absorbed into the
wool and comes off its grease in cleaning. In
section OF Illinois wool is heavy and gummy,
and loses 20 per cent more in cleaning than it
does In Indiana In Missouri it is coarse. so you
there is some difference In the product in
each section of the country"
Would the removal of the tariff affect the
wool Industry"
~ think it would. Let me cite you one
circumstance that makes me think 30. Last
yesr it was thought and was published all
over the world that the wool crop in the United
States was comparatively failure that not
more than half a crop would be realized. This
was untrue But mark its effects Wool-grow-
ers OF Europe, learning of the deficiency in this
country, as it was represented, promptly raised
the price of their WOOL They meant to take
advantage of our necessity, as they would do
found out that the report wal false
and that they could not get
higher prizes. than usual. they proceeded
at once TO reduce again. Now that shows What
kind of = condition will always be in when
we are dependent foreign country for
supplies OF any article The abolition of the tariff
would. in my Judgment, destroy to large
tent the wool industry of this country. The eff
feet would be to put the business in the hands
of Europe. when the wool men would raise the
price, this little furry of last year indicated,
and in the end would pay more than we do
now. OF course when we reached that condition
our farmers would begin raising again and bring
the price down. But it would then be put down
so low in Europe that it would drive out
again and the same conditions would recur. Yon
that the abolition of the tariff has this bad
effect. it leaves market in the control of the
misunderstanding that we don't want in any
line of business under any circumstances"