Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-03-03
CRY FOR FREE WO Il.
NO. OF THE CONT GMPLATED
MOVES UPON THE M'KlNLEY BILL.
Majority Report on tho Springer Measure
went to the House Mondny-rrescnt
Duties, it Says, are Prohibitive ii ~ IL
Tarf policy iins Rrsulted Di,astrOuhA
to the sheep Industry.

WASHINGTON Feb % The reports Of
the majority and minority OF the HOUSE,
committee on ways and neans to accol-
paly the Springer wool bill, VIII be pre-
sen,ed to he House to morrow. TIE ma
jority reuort was prepare l by Mir. springer
and the minority report by sir. Burrows OF
Michigan. The majority report says the
Mckinley bill was passed with enormous
rates of duties, many OF them proMbitory
and ali unreasonably high. "ihere can be
no good reason" says the report 'for
maintaining such high taxes upon articles
which are SO necessary to the heath and
comfort of the people. a peculiar feature
of these rates is that, owing to the high rates
per pound and square yard added to the
al vaIorem rates, duties We're highest on the
cheaper grades OF goods worn by tue masses
OF the people and lowest upon the high
priced goods worn by those in better cir
cunistuuces.
Twenty five per cent" commeuts the
report. twas al the protection that wool
manufacturers il 1867 asked in order to en-
able them to compete successfully with their
foreign rivals, but it seems N tic case OF
wooilen goods, as in all Others, the amount
of protection required increases from year
TO year. As the industries get Older and
better established more protection IS de-
mHu led.
The report goes on to say that, while it
ID claimed the specific duties imposed on
wool 10y this law were merely compensatory,
careful examination viii show tDst the spe-
c!Nc dates are III tact highly protective
aud IN many cases prohbiuNe. Tho rates
pi .osed IN the biii submitted, the report
says, ara fixed with due resard to the labor-
cost OF production and TO the necessities Of
consumers. The lowest rates are placed on
goods upon which the least labor has been
bestowed and which are consumed ny the
greatest number OF people
Tue history of the effect of high tariff on
wool and wOulen good, Is reviewed with the
OBJECT OF showing that since our first begin
ing III 1861 the policy of high protective
tariffs on wool and woollen good has result
ed dIsastrousiy. The report says: "In 1868
there were e, 130, 900 sheep IN OHIO in lcip
the number had fallen to !, 925 600; in lSSU
10 !, USJ, 900; in 1883 to J,UJU, 900; IN 1880
tAere were only $500, 900 repor ed, WINS
III 1891 the number was gwen Us H. pGLUJO.
SIM. ar results took p ace IN all other = .!.r~
easl OF the Missouri AMI Mississippi rivers.
The increase in the number of sheep in
the United States has been IN States west
was a free range upon tic public domain.
There were in the whole United States la
1868 nearly 81, 900, 900 sheep. There tire
now only $4,000, 200, an increase Of i, 1873, e.
600 N = years.
In 1861 there were only 5000, 900
pounds OF wool imported into the United
States, which is - per cent only OF the
wool consumed in this country In 1891
there was l29, UOj, @ pounds OF wool i'm
ported, which was 3 per cent
The WOO! growers of 1861 believed the
inn ositon of high tariff on WOO! would Sc
cure the control OF the home market The
result proves, how greatly they were mis-
taken. Moreover wool has declined IN price
! from SGI, when it was worth 81 cents per
pound in currency, to the present time.
| The Nc Kinney act Increased duty on wool
AN average OF one cent a pound. The re-
suit has been fall n price Of two to three
cents pound instead of a rise IN price.
| After % years OF experiment, the resu
| has been a reduction OF one half in tao
number OF sheep in the States cast OF the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and re-
| ducton of one half III price OF wool.
| The manufactures Of wuollen goods, says
the report, gre divided in opinion as to
whether wool should be put on the free list,
! but all copcede the great disadvantage tC
which American wooden manufac urers are
subjected by reasoh OF the tariff on wool.
| The census statement shows that if we dc
duct the idle establishments EN- and the
shoddy establishments go there were only
25O2 wooIlen establishments in active opera
! tiOn in 1870. This shows decrease of IL
| since 1880. W oolleu establishments have in
creasd in Pennsylvania, New York, NewJer-
sey and in the New England States, but as