Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-08


but make it as nearly like the sample as
you can for g."
This the manufacturer accordingly
does by grading the quality of the goods
down with greater admixture of
shoddy to meet the market, and thus the
workingman who buys suit of clothes
looking just like the suit he bought
three years ago at the same price is
really paying, without realizing it, for
more cotton and less wool. He is really
paying for $50 suit from SO to $5 more
than for the value he received in the
same priced suit three years ago.
John O'Connell, in charge of the
wholesale underwear department of Hill
ton, Hughes 81 Denning, large buyer
of hosiery and underwear, says: "In
cotton goods the American manufacturer
has the advantage of free raw material,
and therefore the prices of cotton goods,
which advanced shortly after the enact
ment of the Mckinley tariff act, have
now settled back to former prices, butin
woolen goods, which are affected by the
Mckinley act, the case is different.
Woolen hosiery, which formerly sold for
$3.50 to $3.50, now sells for $8 to $3.50
per dozen, which means that the Amer
ican buyer pays 81 for the same value
which formerly cost but rs cents, and
the same is true of cashmere stockings.
The American buyer now pays for woolen
hosiery and underwear 20 cents and 80
cents for the same quality of goods
which three years ago sold for 1S cents
and 81 cents respectively"
Under this head are included linens,
handllerchiefs, table, stair and floor
cloths, towels, napkins and white goods
generally. Before the war there was
uniform tariff rate of Is per cent. on all
linen goods, which was advanced during
the war, owing to the necessities of the
government, to 35 and 40 per cent, until
1888, when the 40 per cent. rate was
abolished and the uniform rate of 35 per
cent. retained. The Mckinley act re-
tanned the 30 per cent. rate only on such
linen goods as contained 100 or more
threads to the square inch, but increased
the rate upon all other linen goods to so
per cent. ad valorem. This discrimina-
ton was made to favor the contributors
to the Harrison campaign fund of 1888
in Troy, who are largely engaged in the
manufacture of linen collars.
"The first result of the Mckinley act,"
says Mr.. Potts, of the white goods i'm
porting house of j. B. Locke & Potts, in
Franklin street, twas to cause the for
eign manufacturers to change all the
goods which We're formerly made of SO
Ief 10 IL, fN+ l., ,,o1,
but the most serious result to the Ameri
can buyer was the change in the quality
of the goods. Linen handkerchiefs which
are offered at retail for 25 and 30 cents
each have been reduced in quality so
that they can be sold at the same price
as before the Mckinley act went into
operation. The same is true of house
keeping linens, table cloths, napkins,
damasks, towels, floor linen, etc. In
each instance the manufacturers have
met the prices of the retail dealers by
grading down the quality of the goods
to suit their customers. The American
buyer is now paying for handkerchiefs,
towels and other articles in the house
keeping line 90 and 80 cents for the same
quality Of goods which, under the tariff
of 1888, could have been bought for 1872
and 371s cents respectively. The duty
on terry goods and bath towels was in
creased under the Mckinley act about
so per cent, and the domestic manu-
facturers of these goods have put up
their prices 25 per cent, which means
that a 3715 cent towel is now sold for 80
cents"
This article of universal domestic use
is not imported, the entire market be-
ing controlled by domestic manufac-
turers The prices, however, are af-
fected by the tariff on raw wool, which
leads to considerable depression in the
quality of blankets at popular prices. The
best blankets in the world are made in
California, but they obtain the best
price, being sold as high as $50 pair.
But blankets are offered in retail shops
at all prices, from $50 pair down to 65
cents, the wool gradually growing light
er in weight until it finally disappears
in the blankets below SO pair, which
are made entirely of cotton. The lowest
price at which woolen blankets can be
purchased is So pair, and light weight
at that If it were not for the tariff on
wool the American buyer could obtain
for 50 the quality of blankets now re-
tailed at So, and the same proportion
holds good on all grades and weights up
to the highest priced California blan-
| kets.
f, "In carpets" said a member of a
large Broadway firm, "the process Of
adulteration has been simply frightful.
The American buyer would be surprised
to learn what cheap carpets are made of
cattle hair, goats hair, dogs hair and
even cats hair are in constant use. Will
ton yelvet) carpets are advertised at 81
per yard laid, which, deducting 10 cents
for the making and laying, would be 80
cents per yard. Now the Mckinley duty
on Wilton carpets is 60 cents per square
yard and 40 per cent. ad valorem in ad-
dition. AS the duty exceeds the price
Of the article, it affords the most con-
elusive evidence that the Wiltons offered
at 81 are adulterated to meet the prices
of the retail dealers.
"The same is true Of Brussels carpets
sold at 60 to 70 cents per yard, although
the Mckinley duty is 2S cents per square
yard and in addition thereto 40 per cent.
ad valorem, which simply means that
American buyers at such prices are pay
ing for something even worse than shod-
dy, when they could get pure wool car
pets at the same prices if the Mckinley
l.