Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-09-27
THE WOOL INDUSTRY.

Its Growth Under Protection -Ets
Danger Under the Propoyed Demo.
cratic Free Trade System.
The following article was prepared by
Washington Belt, OF New York city, for
the American protective tariff league:
a careful, estimate places the number
OF wool growers in the United States al
about seven hundred thousand, and fully
five hundred thousand men are employed
by them to assist in caring for their
hocks and doing other farm labor. A
majority of these hockmasters, as we'll
as their employed help, are heads of
families; therefore, if you add to their
number their wives, children and other
dependents you will have population
OF at least four million persons more or
less interested in the growing OF wool;
or about one-fifteenth of the entire pop
ulatlon of the United States. There are
no doubt fully one hundred and fifty
thousand other farmers who keep small
number OF sheep, but these could not be
fairly olassed as growers of wool.
These seven hundred thousand farm
ers will average to own or possess at
least one hundred and sixty acres Of land
eaeh--making totsl of one handred and
twelve million acres-devoting the more
desirable parts OF their farms TO the rails.
ing of grain, hay, etc., Ia good share OF
which is required for the feeding OF their
horses, cattle, hogs and sheep during the
winter seasop,) and selecting the poor,
rough and billy portions for the pastur-
ing OF their sheep; thus putting to prof.
table use their entire farms.
The number OF sheep in the United
States is now estimated at fifty million
head, and the crop of wool at about three
hundred and fifty million pounds, worth
on the average of last years prices about
twenty-five cents; making the total value
of the wool crop of the country seventy
eeven million dollars.
There are sold annually for export and
home consumption from thirteen to fl
teen million sheep for mutton, bringing
on the average about three dollars per
head; making the total value Of wool and
mutton sold each season about one hum
dred and twenty-five million dollars.
Ii you remove the duty FROM wool, and
SO make the growing of it an unprofit.
able business. it would render almost
ynlnless the portions of these farms de-
voted to sheep raising, and thereby
would decrease the average price of the
whole farm at least two dollars and a
half an acre, making loss from this
source alone OF two hundred and eighty
millions.
Sheep would also decrease In value
fully fifty cents per head, making an.
other shrinkage OF twenty FIVE million
dollars.
Wool would decline from seven to
eight cents per pound from the average
price of the last fifteen years-adding
another loss Of twenty five million dol-
lars, and the farmers would be 30 i'm.
proyerished by the low prices obtainabIe
for their wool that out of actual necessity
they would be compelled to reduce the
wages of these FIVE hundred thousand
persons employed to assist in the caring
OF their hocks and the doing OF other
farm labor to the extent Of .at least fif-
teen cents per day o. about fifty dollars
per year; making q still further loss of
twenty-five million dollars from this
source alone.
Now, for the sake OF reducing our
revenue between FIVE and six million
dollars, we must virtually impoverish
one-ffteenth OF the entire population
of the United States. and SO enforce this
large body Of people to follow business
that will yield no profit, and sompel
them to raise wool in competition with
all the poor and poverty stricken ma
tons on the earth, where land and labor
sAre fully ons-half less than IN this coun.