New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-24
GONnN II U4KEHOINES.

Can anybody connected with the WOollen
Dealers Association explain 10y what authority
any of is a GERS have been tclcgIaphln@ 10
Washington formal requests IN il name. on "A
subject about which the organization Is not en-
powered ~ act and ON which the members have
never hocn consulted At all? The tccgraphIng
Wa> for the purpose Of securing further post
poncmcnt Of the time for paying duties on goods
IN warehouse The association has no power 10
rcl,rc,cnt members ON that subject and they
were not consulted. Yet persons protesting 70
represent tins body "f merchants are said to
have been INDUCING in strong bur unauthorized
statements about the injury which would be
done if the date liked for payment Of duties
under the old Tariff law should not bee further
extended. The ind gnation expressed 10y some
members at this performance Is natural.
The fact is that out Of about $1,000. 600
Nosth Of goods ~ az kinds in United states
warehouses last July only S5520.ll9 was the
value If all Woollcn goods Bui November
/. after the new tmIn had been in force nearly
"A month the value of all goods in all ware
house, was only $4,000, 600 There Is no
reason whatever "a suppose that the value al
woollcn GOOD. was larger than in judy At
New York, where such Goods are most imported.
the value of Woollcn goods entered for ware
house hctwccr July and October q after the
tariff had taken effect. wa, S5.371.75S hut the
value Of woolcu goods Withdrawn from wnrc-
house in the sane time was SJ.3iS.766. Prac-
tcally there was no change here, and IN all
probability none Of consequence elsewhere.
But between October 10 and last Friday,
December IT, the Withdrawals of woocn goods
l.. 1 IA, ,,,in. I,
5000 GOO. vet there are men talking oWli>hy
of the cnOrmouN sums OF money which would
be required to pay duties on WOollcn goods IN
warehouse If duties on all such goods in all
EJrdcd warehouses in this country were paid,
| it would not probably require S3,0o0,0o0 Part
Of the goods Will in any ease have tn he sent
back without paying duties, or else sold AT Il
Sacrifice because there is no demand for them
at cost price with the old duties added
How completely some of these tariff defeating
patrotS manage to defeat themselves may be
! inferred from ono illustration. In October,
| when crazy Free Traders were blowing about
| the enormous increase in cost of WOollcnS 10
| consumers. goods which ordinarily cost -
abroad had been raised 10 about 50 30 by the
rush of orders 10 anticipate the tariff. making
| them cost with the old du'ics about ~ - here.
\ simple minded merchant placed his order,
| shouted with Joy when he got his goods over
| here just III time t. escape the new duties. and
| swallowed some champagne on his prospective
profits The next week the same goods were
| offered him by IN agent OF foreign house M
| less than SI 10 with the new duie, paid. The
| diSguStcd man wanted to know the reason, and
| found that The foreign manufacturers in order
| 4
| the price down. not merely 20 the - customary
| before the excitement, but TO ~ 40, which with
the duties at the new and higher late made the
goods cost IA little less than -. II is unneceS-
,aiy to add that be has not sold his goods i'm
ported al the old rate and curses Mckinley
with conviction.
An important cause Of commercial difficulty
| is that the natural shrInkagc III distribution OF
! products 10 consumers which usually follows
| partial failure of crops. but was exaggerated by
the clamor about high prices during the last
camnaign came upon commercial community
largely overloaded with goods purchased when
everybody was told that prices were going up.
There are merchants who bought heavily with
thar idea when tree coinage was expected !lNt
spring, and have never been able to unload
| There are very many more who bought heavily
| Nth t,at idea before She new tariff went into
effect. and who lind that they cannot get higher