Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1892-09-08
A STUDY IN WOOL.
The Tariff Has Not Raised the Price Nor
Kept Out Foreign Wool.
From the st Louis Republic

The Tariff Has Not Raised the Price Nor
Kept Out Foreign Wool.
From the St Louis Republic.
The New York Commercial Bulletin
has been making study OF the "Wool
Book'' for 1892, prepared by Mr.. S. d.
N. North, Secretary OF the Wool and
and Wooden Association aud Statistical
Agent of the United States Census. 1t
draws certain conclusions from this vol
ume that throw flood of light on the
wool and woollen tariff which the House
bill Just passed attempts to correct.
First-That the tariff has not main
tanned the price Of domestic wool, it be-
ing cheaper now than under the low-rev-
enue tariffs of 1916 and 1857. The aver
age price of Ohio medium fleece woods
for 1858, so and go, when clothing woods
were almost free of duty was 1855 cents.
The price of like grades under the high
tariffs of 1883 and 1890 has averaged for
the last three years 1928 cents per
pound.
Second-The tariff has not kept out
foreign woods by taxing them. Under
the low tariff OF 1916 we imported, in 1850,
1858 per cent. of our consumption. I'm
der the almost free-wool tariff of 1857 we
imported, in 1860, but 30.4 per cent. OF
our consumption. Under the high pro-
tective duties from 1867 to the present
time we are still, in 1890, importing 1914
per cent.
The effect of our high tariff on the
manufacture OF shoody is most conspicu-
Gus. In 1880 the capital was 81 ,l65, 100;
in 1890 it was $4091,2 07. Value of pro-
duct in 1880 "a ,989, 615, and in 1890, 81
711,715. Bearing in mind that this great
progress in shoddy does not include a
great many large mills that make their
own shoddy, it must be admitted, says
the Bulletin, that in this branch the high
tariff has given most effectual stimulus,
as i. also has to the substitution of cotton
tor wool in the backs Of what purport to
be woollen goods.
Fourth-The production of domestic
woollen and worsted goods aside from
shoddy shows substantially no increase
in ratio to population. In 1880 it was
So "a per head, in 1880 1t was 1910.
Fitth-The amount paid in wages in
the manufacture of woollen and worsted
goods is less than $23 on 500 worth OF
product. Yet in order to 'equalize the
cost of production in this country and
the countries that seek our markets."
the Mckinley bill puts tax OF 500 on
the 800 worth OF imported goods. But
even this does not increase the wages OF
employees, their average earnings being
less than $3.50 year.
: Sixth-As Mr.. Hamilton in 1871 re-
ported that woollen manufactures were
firmly established in this country. and as
the factories then without protection,
furnished larger proportion of the
woollen goods consumed than our facto-
ries now succeed in supplying, it is diff
cult to see what benefit the American
people have derived from high tariffs and
what to-day we have to show for the
enormous taxes exacted from the people
for the past quarter of a century under
the compact between the Ohio wool-grow-
ers and part OF the Eastern manufac-
turefs.
These are conclusions from his wool
book that Mr.. North did not expect to
have drawn, and the Bulletin calls upon
him and upon the president of the asso-
citation to upset or to deny any of them.
W. T. WILSON