Sharp County record., 1891-04-23
CARPET PRICES.


s0TcK,niey Prices" still Prevail For Brus-
sells Carpets-McKinley's Duty on Wool
the Cause-A Piece of Stupid Protec-
tlon.
The protectionist papers,have recen tly
been trying to make it appear that no
prices have been raised by the McKin-
ley tariff law. They even claim that
the 'free trade papers" have abandoned
the cry of Mckinley prices and thus
practically confessed that the whole
thing was from the first a humbug,
gotten up last fall to influence the elec-
tiop.
Whatever the "free trade papers" may
leave unsaid, however, the trade papers
are supplying These journals are de-
voted to business and not to politics,
but they still print facts which show
that Mckinley prices" have not yet
disappeared. One of these journals, the
New York Carpet and Upholstery Trade
Review, has recently had something to
say on the subject of the increased
prices OF Brussels carpets. This paper
represents the interest of American
carpet manufacturers, and as such is a
supporter of protection. What it says
therefore is free from the suspicion of
being in the interest of foreign manu-
facturers" or as being ian attempt to
break down American industries"
Here is what the Review says:
Brussels manufacturers have been as firm
as rock on prices this season, for the rea-
son that it is the only salvation for their
business. Buyers may think the advance on
Brussels is abnormal, but such IS not the
case. The increased duty and cost of wool
on the other side will foot up con- iderably
more than the advance, as computation will
quickly show. The advance on carpeting
was compulsory and not in the nature of an
ettempt to get ezra profit and it is more
perceptible on Brussels owing to the fine
quality and large quantity Of wool usel in
thegoods.
The Review is entirely right in say
ing that this advance was compulsory
The old duty on the better class of
carpet woods was cents a pound, which
was equal to 80 per cent; the Mckinley
duty is SO per cent. ad valorem.
. Mr. George d. Bromley, prominent
carpet manufacturer of Philadelphia,
has been recently interviewed on this
subject. Mckinley having raised the
duties on carpets to compensate the
manufacturers, as he said, for the in
creased duties on WOOL Mr.. Bromley
was asked whether the Mckinley law
had helped the carpet manufacturers.
His answer was as follows:
We have have not been benefited directly
by the present tariff, as it has necessitated
an a lvance on carpets. Indirectly we may
possibly be benefited, as there may be more
. of a demand for carpets as business general.
lyimproves, but only in this way can we eX
pect any benefited. The advance on carpet
woods has leSscned importations and made
1t hard for carpet manufacturers to obtain
supplies The only way to do with carpet
woods is to let them come in free of duty,
The absurdity of the duty on carpet
woods is that we do not produce this
grade of wool, except to very limited
extent The increased protection con-
Germs only a few ranchmen and Mexi-
can herdsmen in the far southwest
Americans who find it profitable to
raise wool at all confne their attention
to the higher grades of wool, worth 25
to 35 cents pound, They would be
great fools to abandon the raising of
wool of this kind and take up breed
OF sheep producing wool worth only Is
cents pound or less.
Yet it is precisely this latter kind of
wool which forms the bulk of our i'm
ports. We imported Sl,OOO,OOO pounds
OF it last year, against only $4,000, 900
pounds of the finer grades of wool.