The National tribune., 1891-07-09
WOOL AND THE TARIFF.

valuable paper as 10 just how the Mckinley bill
effects the present wool market Of the United
States, the amount Of foreign wool intended Tor
this market and prices for the same. Please fur
/ uish this statement as soon a. convenient. and
obiisc host Of interested readers
Yours. ia T.. G. aud T..
DENNIS WRIGHT, JR., Maple Rapids, Mich.
We referred the above letter TO Hon. VIM.
Lawrence President OF the Ohio Wool
Growers Association, who replies as follows:
The wool growers Of tho United states are
making anxious inquiries in many localities
as to the effect Of the Mckinley wool tariff
law on the wool market, and the question is
often asked why wool does not command
better prica. ] know of no better medium of
/ making some answer to these questions than
1 through your valuable paper. reaching rs it
does a vast number Of readers and especially
/ those Of the highest order Of patriotism. 1t
seems 10 me proper, also, TO ask especially that
the men whose sacrifices saved the Republic
during the war Of the rebellion, shall now aid
in protecting the industries Of the country from
ruin or injury by rivals and aliens in other
/ lands.
The people Of the United States consume an
/
unwashed basis Of which our 100000 sheep
produce about 2Gi.0O0,O00 pounds, and tho res.
idue, about 3SG.OO0,0OO pounds, are imported
from foreign countries in the form of wool and
wooden goods We need about 100000 more
sheep in this country 10 supply the needed
amount Of wool. The reason we DO not have the
proper number of sheep is that Australia and
South America each have about lljOOO,0o0
sheep. besides millions in other countries, aud
labor there is SO cheap and pasturage for sheep
50 abundant in vast prairies, and SO cheap that
foreign flock owners can produce wool and sell
il in this country at a less price than our wool
growers can, aud thus the largest part OF our
supplies % wool arc imported from foreign coun-
tries. II we had a protective tariff law. which
would require foreigners TO pay for the priv
ilege Of importing foreign wool. the full differ
ence between tho cost Of producing wool in
other countries aud shipping it here, and the
larger cost Of producing il here that would
shut out the foreign woods, and enable our
wool growers TO increase thor locks ani sup
ply all the needed woods. The duty now under
The Mckinley law is 10 cents per pound on nm
washed mcrino aud similar woods; i cents on
carpet aud cheaper woods, equal 10 about
from l2t 70 cents per pound. This IS an
average increase Of about ! cent per pound
on woods over the rates Of duty which
were charged under the act Of March g.
l--3, 10 Oct ], 1890, when the Mckinley
law WAS approved by the President. This
increase Of duty, and especially other pro-
cesscs Of the law shutting out shoddy wool
wastes, goat wool 10 some extent, aud similar
products have improved tho wool industry in
This country, but the present rates Of duty are
not sufficiently high 70 shut out. as they should
all foreign wool. The duties on wooden goods
are Substantially prohibitory-that is, in a
short time but very few wooden goods viii DO
imported. The reason that the rates Of duty
on wool are not equally protective Is that the
Eastern manufacturer had enough influence in
Congress 10 prevent the wool growers from
securing such better protection as we need aud
deserve. Aud too many OF the members Of
Congress who profess TO be protectionists like
Plumb and Ingalls, and others from States west
Of the Alloghauies, failed TO demand the proper
protection FOR wool growers. Mckinley and
sherman, aud some Others did all that was posi-.
=
But the time has come when farmers and wool
growers should unite in seeing that no man DO
permitted 70 be nominated a. a candidate for the
Presidency, or Tor Congress, who will not favor
such increase Of wool duties as will give wool
growers as ample protection rs that now given
to wool manufacturers. Our watclIwords should
be equal protection for al, or free trade for all.
short lesson in free trade would soon bring
the manufacturer aud their Representatives to
their senses.
And this brings me to answer the questions
referred 10 in the commencement OF this paper.
One reason why the price Of wool is not better,
Is that tie rates Of duty on imports are not
sufficiently high.
But the Mckinley law has a Statutory effect,
beneficial TO American wool growers. By shut
ting out, as il does, about 100000 pounds
annually Of good secured wool, which came in
under tie act of l5-3 under the false name Of
"was.C" az the nominal duty Of 10 cents per
pound, equal to about four cents on unwashed
wool, the Mckinley law has been aud is great
benefit Bot for this Law this article called
q waste" would still come in annually 10 an
amount larger than the whole wool clip Of
Ohio
But wool is lower in price this year than last
for several reasons, as follows:
]. The past two Winters have been remark
ably mild, aud hence the demand for wooden
goods, and Of wool, has been considerably
reduced tie reduced demand, Of course, had
an eject in reducing price.
.. Importers, in anticipation Of the passage
Of the Mckinley bin, imported very largely Of
wooden goods and wool. aud these excessive
imports have their effect on price Of wool now
These viii soon be exhausted, and then tho
price Of wool will improve.
3. But by far the greatest cause Of the de-
cline IN the price Of wool is the fact that the
price Of foreign woods IN all the Woodworking
countries has declined in the last year from 70
10 - per cent. The wool circular of Justice,
Batcmau d Co, Of Philadelphia, for July /,
1891, says, on the authority of the Melbourne
argus, one Of the highest authorities on wool
in Australia, that the average price lof WOOL
per bale, for the season just closed tat Sydney,
New South Wales, a principal markell, was
Gll Is. ID, as against ga I9s I'd. for the pre-
vious clip, thus showing decline Of - lis. I'd.
per bale from the price paid to the Australian
wool growers during the previous season. a
decline Of % 77-lO0 per cent Another reliable
authority states that the average prices paid 10
the Australian wool growers for the clip now