The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1889-12-21
Carpet wooI-Decisive Testimony.
New York Daily Tribune

new 1ork pally IrlDune,
Evidence on one disputed point is &C.
cumulating rapidly, and, as usual, the
facts when ascertained go against the
free trader. For years it has been af
tirmed, and as positively denied, that
large part of the wool imported as car
pet wool was in fact used in the manu-
facture OF. cloth. Free. trades advocates
have denied it, in order to be able to say
that the duties on carpet wool were no
use whatever, benefited no American
wool growers, and could be repealed
without hurting any. The Tribune has
often submitted evidence TO show that
wool thus imported was used in cloth
manufacture, but has been met with ia-
solent denials in the You don't know
anything" tone, and once Or twice with
an array of figures purpurtlng to prove
irrelragably that no imported carpet wool
could be SO Used.
Two witnesses have just testified from
opposite sides of the tariff question,
Messrs. Justice, Bateman s. Co., wool
merchants, of Philadelphia, support the
protective tariff, while Robert Bleakie s.
Co., manufactures, at Hyde Park, Mass,
openly declare their desire that clothing
as well as carpet wool should be made
free. After arguing and occasionally
threatening for some months in favor of
free wool, "TAe american Wool Reporter''
of September 26 publically asked Mr..
Robert Bleakie, as a manufacturer es.
peclally competent and trustworthy, to
testify "whether any woods imported as
third-class or carpet wool are used to
displace first or second class wool in the
"manufactnre of cloth for clothing pur-
poses." His reply may have been sur
prise, for he says:
In reply, will stale that 1 am satisfied
that many millions Of pounds of third
class or carpet wools are used in making
cloth for clothing purposes. Three years
ago, the firm of Robert Bleakie s. Co of
which | am member, placed upon the
market line of Scotch cheviot goods
made from domestic clothing wool. We
were surprised to find goods similar to
ours offered and sold by philadelphia
at prices less than the cost
of our goods at the mill. Upon investI-
cation, we discovered that the Philadel.
phia goods were made from the fine edge
of carpet wool, that is to say, the finer
sorts had been taken from the carpet
wool, and the beautiful cheviot goods,
for making which Scotland IS famous, had
been degraded by the Substitution of
cheaper wool to roach price satIsfac-
tory to the buyer of cloth. We were
obliged simply to withdraw the goods
which we had made from our domestic |
wool, and follow the example of our more
competitors, some of whom |
l know to day are making business of |
clothing goods, using nothing
but carpet wool. Our firm has used OF |
these carpet woods. during our last run on
about 100000 pounds, equal for
cloth making purposes to over 100000 |
pounds of Georgia wool, owing to Its
lighter shrinkage."
This seems to be testimony not easily
by closet theorists or free
rade organizers, and the statement that
ome competitors "now make business
If producing clothing goods, using moth
ng but carpet WOOL" deserves their es-
,ecial attention. Meanwhile Messrs. JUS
ice Bateman & Co., in their latest circu-
ar to customers, remark:
"One not engaged in the sale of low
,rades of American woods, such as are
.nown as one quarter blood and common,
annot realize the extent to which carpet
Vools are being used for clothing pur
oses, to the exclusion of the low grades
t domestic. One quarter blood woods
hat brought from 80 to 81 cents In June,
re now difficult to sell at 90 to 81 cents.
q canvassing the mills with samples of
.merican one.quarter blood wool, the
ict is revealed that in almost every
Erection the better grades of carpet
ools are being used for clothing pur-
oses. The descriptions most used are
agdad, East India, selected portions of
urkey, Syrian and Persian wools. 1t is
le custom abroad to sort out the better
rades of these carpet woods, such as are
iitable for clothing purposes. ship them
} America and enter them at the carpet
tie of duty, the coarsest portion being
# in Europe and resold there. The
rye use of these wools in clothing !
fuses American one-Quarter blood woods
be neglected, and the decrease in the
eep in the United States during the
st few years has been almost exclusively
those yielding coarse woods; they are
hat are known as mutton sheep, and the
crease in these flocks is TINS also de-
easing the food supply of the United
ates"
This is the testimony of seller of the
W wool, who finds that the manufac.
rcrs do use sin almost every direction
vol imported as carpet wool for the pro IT
ction OF cloth. The testimony of two | til