The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-09
THE WOOL ISSUE sTAT1sT1CALLY.

Anent the current discussion of the
new tariff schedule now in course of
preparation by the ways and means
committee of congress, the more impOr-
tant points of which are given out to the
public through the press as they are
taken up and considered. and in which
schedule the item of wool is one of the
most prominent because far reaching in
its effects upon the material interests of
the largest portion of the community,
the following statistical information eX-
ceIpted from an article under the above
caption in Harper's magazine for April
will be read with interest
The wool manufacturing industry of
the United States, ranking after gTlst.
meat products and iron, as fourth in i'm
pOrtance. is so diffused that the census
of 1880 reported factories in thirty-five
states, Massachusetts leading nearly all
branches in capital and product Penn
sylvania in number of mills, Rhode Is
land in proportion to population and size.
OF the 1863 establishments, l $3.50 were
devoted to woollens some of them max
ing wOrstedS Also. producing $3.50, 606.-
these in but eight states, producing
$50. 549,9 42: 26 IN feIts. in seven
states. producing S3,619. 652; rs
producing $S.516, $50: 1915 10 carpets. in
seven states, Pennsylvania having t12 Of
these, but producing less than the 10
mills of New York. Massachusetts and
Connecticut, the entire product being
70, Mi 4. ~,
states, but concentrated chiefly about
COhoes and Amsterdam, New York. and
Philadelphia. PENNSYLVANIA, producing
i'll all S29. 1G1 1871. These several branches
aggregated 1871 sets of cards. 5fS of
combs. 2.2j4 1896 spindles. 1908 knitting
machines, and 1921 looms. of which
1862 more than half hand-lOOms) were
for carpets. The total capital was S159,-
091 .S69: the average number of hands,
161 .551: their wages. S41. 1885. 0S1: the
value of materials. $164.371, DOL: of pro-
ducts. S267, 252. 913. fading all wool
products together, Philadelphia leads our
cities. followed in order by Lawrence.
Providence, Lowell, New York, Man
chester. Boston.
American manufacture is at the disad-
vantage OF being confined almost entire
exported million dollars worth OF
woolens in any year. while Great Brit
ain. by the latest returns at hand. ex-
ports SIP. coo 900. France SOL 000 00o.
and Germany $40 100000. Our next
neighbor. Canada. imported from us
GSS6) only $16S. 900 worth of wooden
goods, while she bought from Great
Britain 81, 80 900 worth. But our own
consumption. as the census figures show.
home and one-sixth of foreign manufac-
tUe. OF the home manufacture from
quarter to a third of the foreign wool Is
required so that the American sheep fur
nishcs little more than half of Uncle
Sans wooden wear
IL is most difficult to compare the |
prices of wooden goods today with those /
of "A century ago. for the reason that +
even more than the changes of fashion. 4
the Improvement in textile fabrics makes I!
the comparison baselesS. But the figures (
show that the product per operative has [
Risen IN greater proportion that the I
wages. and while operatives earn more. F.
better-InaGe goods cost less TO the mill /
and 70 the wearer. The fact that the .
Flemish weavers reckoned their product .
Is eightfoll the cost of the wool while I.
tie total product If American mills : .
less than thrice the cost of wool AMI .
twice the cost OF all materials. tell, .
wonders in Itself. The modern NOloch .
Of machinery J., not 80 dreadful Is it Is I
TO be-