Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-04
TARIFF HEARINGS.
The Wool Men Have Their
Innings.
SOME WANT MORE PROTECTION.
Others Think the Present Duties
Sufficlent-Wool Supply
Statistics.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, January 3.-Before the
House Committee of Ways and Means
this morning, Carter, of Montana, spoke
in relation to sheep husbandry, particu-
larly on the eastern slope Of the Rocky
mountains.
Shepherd, a wool-grower of Texas,
was the next witness.
After some remarks by Walsh, of Mis-
souri,, Hon. William Lawrence, of Ohio,
offered statement as the representative
sent by the National Wool-Brokers' AS.
sociation. He said the wool growers
generally believed that sound policy re-
quired the imposition of such duty on
so-called carpet wool as would enable
American wool-growers to produce all the
such wool required for consumption in
the United States, shutting out foreign
importations, and giving American wool.
growers the privilege of supplying all the
carpet wool required for consumption.
Bayne suggested that in order to save
time and give other gentlemen an oppor-
tunity to address the committee, that
Lawrence's manuscript be printed without
bsing read. To this suggestion Lawrence
assented, with the condition that he make
q condensed statement, orally, of what
his manuscript contained. That clause
was adopted, and Lawrence went on with
his remarks. He would purposely. he
said, omit the tariff speech which he
would like to make in Congress-, to the
effect that an adequate duty on wool and
manufactured wooden goods would not
ultimately increase the cost at all, because
home competition would prevent unrea-
sonable charges, while if the protection
policy were abandoned and all such prod
ucts imported from abroad, the result
would be that the American people would
be at the mercy of foreign trusts and COR
rorations.
Carlisle-That argument rests on the
assumption that the home industry would
be abandoned.
Witness-Yes; the effect of the re-
duced tariff has been to cut down vastly
the number of our sheep, and with tree
wool, the wool industry would be prac-
tically abandoned in the United States.
James Dobson, Philadelphia carpet
manufacturer, denied the correctness of
many of Lawrence's statements
He argued that the wool growers
of the United States would not,
and could not, produce the quantity
of carpet wool used in that industry, be.
cause when they received 'l5O for the
fleece of fine wool sheep, hey would
not receive twenty-five cents for that of
coarse wool sheep.
William Whitman, of Boston, Presi-
dent of the National Association of Wool
Manufacturers, said the prevailing sem
timent in that organization was for the
maintenance, but not the increase of the
present duties. They would oppose any
attempt to restrict the importing of for.
eign wool, because it would be impossi-
BILE for wool manufacturers to produce
all the goods necessary for home con-
sumption, unless they could have foreign
wool.
In reply to the question, Whitman said
under no circumstances would free wool
enable the manufacturers to make an i'm.
preston on the foreign markets. He
thought free wool would stimulate pro.
duction and give the manufacturers an
opportunity to displace foreign products
now used here, but he also thought the
effect of free wool would be to diminish
the price of wool, and consequently dis
courage the sheep.raisers. The moment
we begin to take from the wool produce
any given amount of wool, the price will
be raised, and wool will become consid-
erably dearer than now.
7. G. Search, representing the Manu-
facturers' Club, of Philadelphia, declared
himself in harmony with Whitman's
views. A statement to like effect was
made by w. H. Folwell, cloth manu-
facturer of Philadelphia. He announced
himself in favor of putting high duties
on southern products, sugar, rice, tur-
pentine and peanuts, and of having free
whiskey and free tobacco. He would
tax the sugar that comes from abroad,
until we could supply the whole demand
ourselves.
John F. Plummer, of New York, said
the country is suffering under the popu-
lar prejudice that better clothes can be
got abroad than here, at the same price.
He declared there was no country where
man could get as good suit of clothes
for as little money as in the United
States. =