Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-07-04
sHODDY CLOTHING.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FAST eE-
COMING A NATION OF "eHAksRs,u

--'~ ~~es@~NS eSAsA "Sht Ahto Ell
feet tho shoddy Business Has Been
Unusually Prosperous-our Tariff q
oodsend to shoddy Manufacturers.
There can be little doubt that the
American people wear more shoddy
than do the people of any other country
on the face Of the globe. Here are
few Of the proofs Of this statement:
First-According to the census statis-
tics Of 1880 the total amount of raw ma
terial consumed in the manufacture of
woolen goods was 404, 900, 900 pounds.
After reducing wool to secured basis
we find that only 11S,000,000 pounds of
pure wool were consumed. This shows
that the composition of woelen goods
made in 1880 was 109 parts of adulter-
ants and 11S parts Of pure wool. The
census of 1890 shows that the number of
pounds Of pure wool used had increased
to 124, 900, 900, and of shoddy, cotton and
other adulterants from 106, ,O0O, 900
pounds in 1880 to 154, ,000, 900 pounds in
1S90-thus giving a ratio of 45 parts of
pure wool to 55 parts Of adulterants.
Second-Since the Mckinley bill went
into effect the shoddy business has en-
joyed an era of unusual prosperity. AS
an indication of this we quote the fol-
lowing under the heading, Rags, Shod-
dies, Wastes and Extracts" from The
American Wool and Cotton Reporter of
May 10, 1899:
"New Clips-There has been a steady
current of business during the past
week and results have been altogether
satisfactory.
Merchant tailors' clips, darks and
black, are picked up as fast as made
The pronounced demand for darks and
black worsted, noted last week con-
tinues. There is more or less inquiry
for all the Various grades of new wooden
rags.
"Woolen Rags-Some dealers aver
that they have sold in the two weeks of
May, 1899, within few hundred dollars
of all last Mays Q89D sales. In the sale
during the past week of red, blue, gray
knit there has been no let up. White
linseys have moved well, SO has hood
stock generally. Dark and light merinos
are selling fast.
Shoddies-Business for the first half
of May (Monday, 16) has favorably com
pared with last years record in the
same period. There is Enthusiastically an
increased demand for finer stock.
cts-Manufacturers in general
are having all they can do to fill orders.
"Wool Waste-There has been no
falling off this month in this trade.
During the past week good deal of
high grade waste has been sold.
"Flocks-Business in this line for the
month thus far has been quite salts
factory"
The same indications of the healthy
growth of this unhealthful industry are
continued in this journal of May 28.
while, as usual, there are ON the same
page over twenty advertisements of
shoddy manufacturers.
Third-No other country has duty on
woods that will average 60 or 70 per cent,
thus depriving us Of the purer wool and
compelling us to use all kinds of adulter-
ants-rags, hair, cotton, etc. That our
tariff is a godsend to the shoddy manu-
facturers is testified to by the fact that |
In 1888, when the Mills bill proposed to
give us free wool, seventeen rag and |
shoddy dealers signed circular (used by
the Republican national committed IN
which they denounced the Mills bill as a
free trade measure and said that free
wool would ruin their business. Further
testimony comes from the petition of the
Kensington Reform club, of Philadel.
phia (Which contains about $50 wool
presented to congress April 6,
1892 After asking for free wool to help
the woolen business and incidentally to
provide steadier employment for more
labor and to give cheaper clothing to the
consumer, they say that the materials of
are deteriorating, and the
'dare not put their work
ingmen on the stand to testify under
oath, for then there would be full cor.
roboration of the statement made to your
committee of ways and means
by the committee of the Wool Consum-
ers' association that the Mckinley law
has largely promoted the adulteration of
woolen manufactures"