The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-08-11
WHY WOOL IS 50 CHEAP.
A Business Firm speaks in a
Busiuess-Iike Way.
EFFECT OF THE MILLS BILL.
How the Proposed free Trade
Measure Operates before Passage.
Other Pertinent PoInts-Talk
with an Eastcrner.

The fact that wool is five cents lower
in price now than it was year ago, not
even the Free Trade theorists will dare
deny. Why is it so, they attempt to ex-
plain by some very peculiar reasoning.
Messrs. Coates Brothers, extensive COM
mission dealers in wool, OF Philadelphia,
well known in the wool trade all over
the country, ought to know why prices
are so low if anybody can and in re-
cent circular to the trade this firm gives
the following explanation.
In response to the many requests for
the reasons why the value OF wool
throughout this country, should have
continued to be SO low for so long n
period, we state the following:
First-The lOw UdIue Of competing foreign
ro0ls. For several years foreign markets
have been very low, and therefore our
domestic woods have had direct and
severe competition, notwithstanding the
ten cents duty.
SeCond-The lOW ualues ofcOmpeiiRg for.
cign goods consequent on cheap wool and
cheap labor abroad.
Third-Ths LOW duties on icorsied goods.
The tariff act places wOrsted goods and
yarns on Il sliding scale, and the low
prices ruling abroad permit higher
grades TO come in ut lower duties than
was supposed or intended when the act
was passed. The Treasury Department
has declined TO remedy the matter by
Classifying woFsted as Weelens, which
would give them better protection, and
would be proper, because by improve
mcnts in machinery most OF the Worsteds
are made OF short and soft woods that
were. not formerly considered worsted
woods.
Fourth-The rulings Of The Treasury de-
pdrtm0,i, by which, without change OF
law, wool can be imported at but frac-
ton OF the proper duty. The duty on
clothing and combing woods is loo per
pound for unwashed, or SOC for secured.
fhn duty on waste is Zoe per pound.
The sO.calIed French system of combing
produces a ring OF secured wool that is
permitted to be imported al lQc duty be-
cause it is called "Ring Waste" where
as it should pay the secured wool duty
| of soc, us it is equal in value to secured
wool, and is used for the same purposes
with but slight manipulation. Thus it
paws but one-thiFd Of the Legitimate du-
~. Other descriptions OF secured woods
arc admitted at the same low rates, and
il is known that so-called tops, "rov-
| ing" and 'slubbing' (which are all
secured woods partially manufactured),
are purposeiy broken and manipulated
SO as to be called "waste,P and thereby,
under present rulings, are imported Of
but one.third OF the duty OF secured
wool, while they are used here in COM
petition with our secured woods.
Fifth Woods dfS imported as Carpet
,gools lat the low rate Of q cents, Il un.
der u cents value, and 3 cents duty II
oyer y cents vaiue), OF which q large
proportion are not used for carpets, and
compete directly with many OF ourwools
that are below the grades OF fine and
medium. It is estimated that probably
nearly as much wool Is imported which
is used for better than carpet purposes,
as all the other importations OF wool
that pay 10 cents duty. In 1886 the i'm
portations paying the !Qcents duty were
about 2S,000,0O0 pounds, while the i'm
portatiOns at the low rate OF carpet WOODS
were about S0,000,000 pounds. II there
fore but 80 per cent Of the latter were
used for better purposes, this fact is
proved. The exact proportions, OF
course, cannot be ascertaincd, but it is
unquestionably very large.
Sixth. -!Sc0ured UOOls being imported at
duty of unwdshed. The so.called clothing
woods bear double duty when washed,
ind treble duty when secured. The So
called carpet woods bear treble duty
when secured, but only single duty q!
c. or sc. according to yalue) when
washed. Many carpet woods are import
ed in practically secured condition, but
the Treasury department calls them
washed" although they have gone
through securing process in large fac-
tories called "washeries," and they are
admitted at the single duty OF unwashcd
wool, and that duty at the low rate es-
tablshed on carpet grades. The Rus
sian "Donskoi" woods and the East India
woods are largely so imported, and all
the better grades OF the latter can be,
and are manufactured, in all parts OF
this country, into yarns and goods.
Seventh. effort 10 rfmoCe all duty
from lcOOl, Us proposed by the President,
and carried out in the "Mills Bill"