The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-09-09
AMERICAN WOOL AND ITS PRICE.

AMERICAN WOOL AND ITS PRICE.
Thu Iass,;e of the Mckinley Bill Saved
American Wool Growers From Dis
aster.
President Cieveland's message pro-
posing free wool created much conster-
nation among wool growers lest the
price Of American wool should be de-
pressed to the level of foreign woods by
placing wool upon the free list
When congress revised the tariff In
1890, the leading wool growers asked
for the very moderate increase upon
raw wool of one cent per pound. What
they most desired was a correction OF
two serious abuses by which the spirit
and intent of the law of 1888 was avoid
ed Clothing woods of low grade were
being imported as carpet woods. The
growers asked that these qualities be
reclassiied SO as 70 pay the same duty
as other clothin\ woods. Highly puri-
fed secured wool, after having been
carded and then combed into top, was
broken up in order to give it the ap-
pearance of waste, so that it might be
admitted under the commercial name of
waste at only one third of its proper
duty. Outside of the correction OF
these two abuses, the wool growers
asked for only one cent per pound addi-
tional duty, which was all the increase
that they thought practicable in the
schedules upon raw wool at this time.
They were aware that they were suffer-
ing from inadequate protection upon
manufactures of wool. American
wooden mills were failing and the con-
sumption Of wool in the United States
was decreasing, while wool manufact-
IRE was being transferred from America
10 England at rapid rate, pointing in
the near future to the destruction OF
the home market for American wool.
They therefore urged the Importance OF
such necessary increased duties upon
manufactures of wool as would lead to
the making in this country of the WOOL
en- fabrics formerly made here, but re-
Gently imported.
Now, after eight months experience
with the Mckinley bill, wool growers
are satisfied that if the bill is given a
fair trial it will give them the degree Of
protection on wool which they expected
and asked for. Some disappointment
exists because of the recent decline in
woods in the outside markets of the
world, causing corresponding decline
in the United States, but the wool grow
,ers realize that their wool sells for more
money in the seaboard cities of the
United States by twelve cents per pound
than the same wool would bring in the
London market, and while they regret
the downward tendency of clothing
wool prices all over the world, they are
aware that but for the timely passage
of the Mckinley bill, owing to made
quate protection to manufacturers of
wool, they must ultimately have taken
very much lower prices for their wool
than they are now receiving.
Well informed wool growers believe
that failure to pass the Mckinley bill
would have been followed by prices for
wool five cents per pound lower than
to-day's prices, and the passage of the
Mills bill in its place would have been
followed by decline of twelve cents
per pound to bring American wool to
the level of similar woods in London,
the latter market dominating prices for
the whole outside world. The McKin-
ley bill has caused decrease in the i'm
portation of manufacturers of wool dur
ing the first half of the year 1891 and
has stimulated greatly manufacturing in
the United States, causing an enormous
increased consumption of wool con-
servatively estimated at over 5000, 900
pounds per month. This view is
strengthened by the increased importa-
ton of foreign woods during the same
period. TWAS known that an increased
manufacturing of wool in America must
necessarily at first be accompanied by
increased importations of WOOL as the
process of increase in American stock
is slow. A large percentage of lambs
find their way to market for mutton
anu HcNcI plOuuCC iuOiO VIGIL eiCih IA ~
crop of wool.
The United States consul, Griffin, at
Sydney, Australia, reports that the
wool growers of that continent received
nearly % per cent less for their clip
now being marketed in London than
they obtained for the previous years
clip The American wool grower in
northern Ohio is receiving 80 cents per
pound for the washed fleece clipped
from Shropshire sheep, as against SO
cents last year, a decline of only 10 per
cent. The same sheep in Canada are
producing exactly the same wool, which
is selling there at only IS cents, as
against 80 cents in Ohio.
The passage of the Mckinley bill
coming OPPORTUNITY as it did just before
a decline in wool all over the world
saved the American grower from dis
aster.
The Mckinley bill is daily leading tc
the manufacture in the United State:
f wooden fabrics that heretofore were
imported. As an illustration we point
to the largest importer of worsteds ii
Philadelphia who under the tariff Law
of 1883 manufactured his goods in Brad
ford, England, paying the government
here nearly $1,000, 900 duties upon hi'
annual importations of cloth. Tha
firm, owing to the Mckinley bill, have
discontinued manufacturing in England
and have removed their machinery to {
mill on the banks of the Delawar,