Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-24
PrOdigious Injury to Dom este In
dustry Which it Will Certain
~ Bring 4 bout.
Demand for American Woo Will
AlonesBs Reduced 216,OoO,-
600 Pounds.
Singular Admission by Mr.. Spring
er Re ative to the Effort of
His Measure.

we collected Sc 100000 Of revenue last
year from wool, which his bill proposes to
admit free and that his scaling down of
duties on other things involved further
reduction of revenue, on last years i'm
portations as a basis, OF S19 500, 900 more.
He was remlndt d that the government
needed every cent collected under existing
laws for legitimate expenditure aud asked
how the loss of revenue foreshadowed In
his free wool bill was 10 be made up. 20,
there will no loss of revenue" he in effect
replied. The lower duties on woolens
and worsteds will invite larger impOrta-
tions, so that just as much revenue will
result from the lower rates as was last
year obtained from the Mckinley duties -
Do the American people realize the
Specification of that brief statement?
Last year We imported S43, 600, 600 worth
Of wool manufactures. AT the decreased
rates fixed In the Springer bll-the average
IS per cent. on LAST years imports as a
basis-we should have to import Sis, 200
000 worth, an increa, of 81, 100000 over
1891, In order to make Up the S26 900, 900
deficiency In revenue. This, remember, is
what Mr.. Springer himself says should
take place.
What effect would this increase in i'm
ported goods have on domestic industry
First, as to the farmer: The S72, 000-
600 increase in manufactured wool would
contain ZIG, 900, 600 pounds of raw wool,
which would come In to take the place of
S72, 000, 900 worth of goods row made IN
this country of domestic wool, and to re
duce the demand for the product of our
own she p growers by ZIG, 100000 pound,
But n is not all. Since Mr.. Springer
admits taat mere decrease In duties will
ircre sc imports so e, o,mously, ceI tainly
he cannot deny that his rem wing the
Whole duty from raw wool will tend to in
crease IN. ports of it also. Atthe very least
we SO, uId import no less of foreign raw
wool tran was imported last year, when
the amount was l19 coo, 900 pounds Of
this IS 600 Geo p nLds were carpet wool,
which we sh0uju have n import any way,
since it Is no, ard, as fr, traders con
tend, ctanot be suc1e>! fully produced
| here.
We consuEe, at liberal estimate 500,
OO0 600 pounds If raw wool in the United
States. We can safely assume that the
amount would not go above that figure the
first year of Mr.. Sprlnger's policy If it
should be lnaugurated by the present con
gress. Now, let Us see where the farmer
| would come out:
There would be imported of manutact-
ures Of wool:
.-..- Pounds
| $4,000, GOO, Inst year g amount, repre-
senting of raw wool. ........ 129, 600 00(
Plus S72,O00000, Mr.. Springer's in
crease, representing of raw WOOL. 216,000,0 9(
There would be imported of raw wool
Clothing and combing last years
Carpet woods, which we must import. 66000,00(
Total imports ofwool ...........-.. $4,000 600
Total amount of wool in United States 100000
| difference, to be supplied by American
ia rmers ............ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 10000, 00(
But they raised last year ~ 800, ,0O(
Difference, or shrink2ge in domestic
-uema' ...-....-- l61UOO,OOt
Here would be 167, 100000 pounds OF
American farmers wool left on their hands
after the home market had been fully SUP.
| piled.
What would they do with it? There is
but one answer. They must sell it fo1
what it would bring-low enough to I'm.
dersell the cheapest wool in the world
| The existence OF such an enormous sur.
plus, over half Of the whole domestic pro
| duct, would send the market so low that
farmers would again slaughter their Rocks
for tallow. Never again would good
times return for our sheep owners while
the free wool policy prevailed. Even
when domestic production has fallen the
necessary 167 900, 900 pounds, the pressure
Of cheap Australian, African and Argen-
tine wool upon the market wcuId con.
| tinually tend 10 send prices even lower
and lower till American sheep raising was
confined to the semi desert plains Of the
west. There it might be possible for
some wool to be grown, bat our main de-
pendence must be upon foreign woods.
This is the inevitable logic of Mr.. Spring
ger s admission, and it would be well for
American farmers to understand what il
means to them.
ABOUT COMPETING IMPORTS.
Fig ures Showing a Great Decline in In,-
ports Competing with American Manu-.
features
Although our commerce has greatly in
creased during the past year, there has
been decline of $3.50 538, $50 in imports
that compete with home products. Ameri
can industry, therefore, has just so much
larger opportunity in the home market
than it had before.
The following table shows how the new