The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-06-18
SHODDY CLOTHING.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FAST BE-
COMING A NATION OF "SHAKERS."

Since the Mckinley Bill Went Into Eff
feet the shoddy Business Has Been
Unusually Prosperous-Our Tariff IA
Godsend 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 a
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
wooden goods was 4Oi 900, 900 pounds.
After reducing wool to a secured basis
we find that only 11S, 000, 600 pounds of
pure wool were consumed. This shows
that the composition of wooden goods
made in 1880 was 10S parts of adulter-
ants and l1S parts of pure wool. The
census of 1890 shows that the number of
pounds of pure wool used had increased
to 124, 00O, 900, ana of shoddy, cotton and
other adulterants from JOG, 600, 600
pounds in 1880 to ia, 000. 900 pounds in
~1S9O-thus giving a ratio of 45 parts of
pure wool to 90 parts o. adulterants.
Second-Siuce 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, 1892:
New Clips-There has been "a steady
r,1rrapf Of l,,SipasS 1,r;,nr tI,n ,,nct
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 O less inquiry
for all the various grades of new wooden
rags.
''Woolen Rdgs-SOme dealers aver
that they have sold in the two weeks of
May, 1892. within IA few hundred dollars
of all last Mays QS9l) sales. In the sale
during the past week of red, blue, gray
knit there has beer no let mp. White
linseys have moved well. so has hood
stock generally. Dark and light merinos
are selling fast.
Observation-Disclosures tor the first half
of May (Monday, lG) has favorably COM
pared with last years record in the
same period. There is Enthusiastically an
increased demand for finer stock.
Observation-Disclosures in general
are having all they can do to fill orders.
woo Waste-Tilcre has been nc
falling off this month in this trade,
During the past week a 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 health,
growth Of this unhealthful industry ar,
continued in this journal of May 2G
while, as usual, there are on the sam
page over twenty advertisements o
shoddy manufacturers.
Third-No other country has a duty Oh
woods that will average 50 or 20 per cent.
thus depriving us of the purer wool an,
compelling us to use all kinds of adulter
ants-rags, hair, cotton. etc. That on
!, tariff is IL godsend to the shoddy manu-
| facturers is testified 10 by the fact tina
in 1888, when the Mills bill proposed It
give us free wool, seventeen rag an,
( shoddy dealers signed II circular Use'i b,
the Republican national committed il
! which they denounced the Mills bill as
, free trade measure and said that FIRE
!, wool would ruin their business. Furthe
5 testimony come from the petition of tn
Kcnsington Reform club, of Philadel
phia (Which contains about go woo
workers., presented to congress April q
1892. After asking for free wool to hel
the wooden business and incidentally t
4 provide steadier employment for moi
: labor and 20 give cheaper clothing to tn
I consumer, they say that the materials o
manufacture are deteriorating. and Tn
manufacturers dare not put their work
ingmen on the stand to testify unde
oath, for then there would be a full col
! roboration of the statement made TO you
honorable committee of ways and mean
by the committee of the Wool Consun
ers' association that the Mckinley LAY
| has largely promoted the adulteration @
O wooden manufactures