The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-04-30
What Arc Wooden Goods

him.
What Are Wooden Goods.
Cleveland Plain Dcglcr
The census bulletin devoted t.
the wool industry, which has just
been issued, contains some inter
esting facts as bearing on the bill
passed by the house to furnish the
people with cheaper and better
clothing The aim Of Census Sup
Crintendent Porter has always been
to make his statistics as favorable
to the party in power as possible
and especially to furnish material
that can be used in support Of the
policy Of Il protective tariff. There
are some figures, however, that
cannot he so manipulated as tocOn-
ceal unpleasant facts and the bull
letin of statistics of wooden manu-
facture offers Il case in point.
1t has been charged by the OPP
ponents oftariffrestriction that the
wool tariff has not benefited the
wool grower and has injured the
general public by increasing the
price and degrading the quality of
woolen clothing. This is siren
uously denied by the advocates Of
high duties, who claim that the
tariff increases the demand for do
nestle wool, therefore stlffening
the price, and results in producing
cheaper and better clothing. That
the price of domestic wool has
steadily gone down instead OF up
under high tariff the farmers know
to their sorrow. AS to the other
matters let the census statistics Of
Robbery Protecting Porter answer.
One Of the tables in the bulletin
gives a comparative detailed state
ment of raw materials consumed
in the manufacture OF wOolen goods
in 1890 and in 1850. The figures
show falling off in the purchase
Of foreign woods 3,G60,520 pounds
and Of domestic woods 8,51G,4S2
pounds. The tariff that was tOpro-
tect the domestic wool grower by
putting up barriers against the i'm
pOrtatiOn of foreign wool was sue
cessful in reducing foreign com
petition, but the injury to the do
mestic wool grower was far greater
than the benefit. The decrease in
the purchase Of secured wool as
prepared for the cards was 9,47S, l19
pounds. The diminished use of
wool was more than made up in the
increased use of substitutes and
adulterants. The amount Of shoddy
entering into the manufacture of
"Woolen" goods increased j,27S, III
pounds, hair of all kinds 5,6I5,3S2
pounds, and cotton 12,413,74S
pounds. So far from benefiting
producer or consumer the tariff on
wool had decreased the cOnsump-
ton OF American wool, reduced
the price paid the American far
mer and deteriorated the quality
of the manufactured article.
In the light Of these census stat
isticS the name "woolen goods" is u
misnOmer. The greater part Of the
goods sold as Woolen have very lit
tie WOul in them and of the entire
domestic manufacture Of sO-called
Woolen goods less than half the
material used is wool. According
to Supt. Porter the amount of raw
materials used in the manufacture
Of "woolen goods" Efor the censu,
year 1890 was 20O,72S,253 pounds
taking the materials in their con
dition as prepared for manufacture
The materials We're class ifed a,
follows:
Wool, secured, lbs. $50. 1OO,2lG,O0:
Shoddy, lbs .............5l ,S62, ,307
Hair, lbs ..........,...Il,l ,l6I ,05l
Cotton, lbs bS...........37 .37,I5S,7I.
Here we have 100, ,24G,094 pounds
of wool and 10O,482, l59 pounds of
shoddy, hair and cotton as the
materials for one years domestic
manufacture Of what is claimed tC
be "wooIen" goods. These figures
speak for themselves. The effect
of the wool and woolens bill passed
by the Democratic house and pig.
eon-hoIe III the Republican senate
would be 10 increase the proper.
tion of wool and decrease that OF
L =