Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-08-09
wooL-oRowERs FAVOR 1T.
They Believe That the Mills Bin VIII He
OF Considerable Benefit.

WOOL-GROWERS FAVOR IT.
They Believe That the Mills Bin VIII He
OF Considerable Benefit.
In view of many assertions that the
passage of the Mills bill, which puts
wool on the free list, would injure the
domestic growers of that staple. and
that it was therefore opposed in sheep
raising States, a reporter made some
inquiries on this subject of Mr.. George
T. Malone. who is vice-president of
the Texas Trading Company, of Lam
pasas, Tex. This company handles
wool in consignment direct from the
grower, taking the bulk of the clip
which comes to Lampasas market.
When the clip is full the quantity that
it handles annually is some l ,250, 900
pounds. Its dealings are extensive in
number as well as in amount, most Of
the growers with which it does bust,
ness having clips of 5000 to 10000
pounds each. In reply to the questions
put to him, Mr.. Malone said: The
present price of wool. which is very
low, could not be deprecated by the
passage of the Mills bill. have not
come in personal contact with the
growers since last fall, before the in
PRODUCTION of the Mills bill. but / know
that some very. prominent growers in
Texas have taken the same stand that
do, which is that their interests would
suffer no permanent harm by the pass
age of that measure. If this bill had
been brought forward a few years
since. when the prices of wool
were very high, the growers would
have felt differently. Lately, how
ever, they have become much dissat-
isfied with the determinations and in
equalities of the existing tariff.
Formerly they regarded the tariff as a
protection to them, and believed it
was that which kept up the price of
wool. If the Mills bill had been in
troduced a year ago. they would have
attributed it to that and to the agita-
ton connected with it the low prices
which have since prevailed. For
years the price of wool has been very
variable. Last season it opened eX-
tremely high and then a shrinkage fol-
lowed which still continues. The con-
ditiOn is better now, however, than be-
fore the introduction of the Mills bill,
prices having touched bottom pre-
viously. The decline of wool was due
to the unhealthy condition of the man
ufacturing interests. 1t Is now seen
by many of the growers that the man.
ufacturers need free wool, and the
manufacturing industry would receive
stimulus which would cause steady
and uniform demand for wool at staple
prices. With wool on the free list,
growers would know just where they
stood, whereas. with the present tariff,
they can never tell when it may be
altered or what the conditions of
manufactures may be. Carpet stock
and the finer grades of wool are not
grown in this country at all, and
their importation duty free, while
not in any way interfering with
the domestic wool-grower, would tend
to widen the range of manufacturing,
and thereby open new avenues of en-
ployment to the working classes. In
my opinion free raw materials of every
kind would increase the prosperity of
the working classes by consequent ex-
tension of manufacturing in this coun-
So far as l can perceive, there is no
class of wool which, put on the free
list, is likely to be imported in suf
ficient quantities to depreciate the
present price of any trade of American
wool. The class of wool that we do
produce is not raised here in sufficient
quantity to fill the domestic demand.
Manufacturers admit that it would be
an advantage to them to have free
wool and / believe that in the long run
the interests of the wool manufacturers
and wool growers are Identical There
is a certain kind of fine wool which
must be imported to mix with our own
wool, in order to compete with the
products of foreign manufacturers.
The exaction of duty on this hurts
the domestic grower as much as the
domestic manufacturer, because the lat
ter to make up for the enhanced cost OF
the foreign wool has to secure his ma
tive wool at cheaper rate than he
could otherwise afford to pay. M Y.
Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer.
SHERMAN IN 1870.