Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-08-11


sheep and wool industry, how do you
account for the prevailing low prices
of wool in this country the present
year?"
| The explanation in regard to the
present low prices in WOOL" said Col
Smith, ''is not hard to make, and is a
point which ali, especially you farmers
and producers of wool, ought to thor
oughly understand. The worlds prod
uct of wool in 1891 was more than
100000 pounds more than it was in
1S9'. which was far greater than
the increase in demand and consume
| ton, and as a matter of course. prices
went down
amy one can see by studying the
! question that the protection given the
| wool growers has been of special value
| to them. All of the doubt. or unrest. OF
! whatever you may call it, as touching
the wool duty in the Mckinley law. is
found amopg men who are acquainted
with the facts
/ How did this overproduction affect
! prices in this country as compared with
! free trade England?" was the next cues
/ ton asked.
! PRICES IN AMERICA AND EUROPE
THAT is getting right at the keynote
! of the question" said Col. Smith. and 20
get at On explicit understanding of it, it
| is only necessary to take into account
| the comparative prices OF wool in this
| and other countries to see whether the
! duty is of any benefit to the American
J farmer The United States is not the
only county where low prices of wool
have prevailed for the past two years.
! I he supply of wool in all foreign coun-
| tries has been much greater than the
demand during the past year The diff
| ference between supply and demand was
! so great that in England the price of
wool declined fully % per cent while
! the decline in this country has been
! from 10 to II per cent. As an illustra-
! ton Of this fact, take the comparative
! prices Of competing ools in this coun-
| try and England, for that will tell the
! whole story Here short time ago, on
| the very dav that Ohio Xxx fine clothing
wool v as selling in our markets for 81
! cents pound, the corresponding grade
! of foreign wool was selling in London
! for Is cents; while the best Muntana
/ Xxx was fetching 81 cents in Philadel
! phi, the comparative grade of foreign
| wool will sell for 81 cents in England. "
! What would have been the result if
wool had been on the free list?" asked
| the sheep raiser
FINE WOOL WOULD RUIN THE INDUSTRY.
| This is a good point for consideration,
replied Col Smith. Suppose wool had
| been on the free list or the duty had
! been so low as to stimulate importa
tons, it is easy to see what the result
would have been [mportations would
4
! f, reign wool W uld have C me int direct
C mpetiti0n with the American product
as to have practically ruined the Ameri
can woo market and brought disaster to
the WOO | growers. Every wool grower in
| the country would have been C mpelled
to sell bis product at price RESP nd
ing with the price # the same grade
in Europe Such ndition Of things
W uld have simply paralyzed the W.,
industry IF the United States
Justice, Bateman & Co who are the
best authorities in this country on wool,
have recently issued a letter in which
the fact is given that from 1867 to 1890
the average piece of wool ives 81 per
cent, higher in the United States than
in the markets of Europe It doesn't
require very wise mau to see that if
there was no protection duty on wool
the industry would be quickly wiped out
in this country, for the American farm
ers cannot successfully compete with
the wool growers of foreign countries,
with their vast areas of cheap lands and
inexpensive labor"
Are there any proofs that the va1ia
tons in the tariff or duty on wool dur
ing that time had any special inf1ue1 ce
upon the sheep industry 10 this country?'
WHAT THE DUTY ON WOOL HAS DONE:
There are some, and they are pretty
emphatic" said Co Smith g, hey show
very plainly how sensitive is the sheep
industry OF the country to the touch of
a duty on wool In 1871 the total mum
her of sheep in the United ates was
81 1851 900, and under the influence of |
the protective duty of 1867 the nun Der |
increased to 5O,6OO,0OO in 1884. In 1883 |
you will remembe, the duty on wool
was reduced somewhat, and Though the |
reduction was but little, yet it is appar-
ent that the industry felt it keenly, for |
hy 1889 the number of sheep in the
United States fell off to 42,5990O0 or at |
the rate of 100000 year, and that too, |
during period of rapid increase in pop |
ulation, dew lopment and consumption |
in this country. Uuder the Mckinley !
law the duty was increased and at the |
beginning of the pr sent year the mum
Der of sheep in the country had increas- |
ed over 100000"
II am greatly obliged to you for the
information you have given me-" said
the farmer
1.-The whole matter is clear in my
mind now, and would like to know
where to get the necessary printed and
relia BILE information to enlighten my |
neighbors upon the same questions "
"If the farmers or any others want to
read something interesting as a ro-
nance and as reliable as the Gospel, up
on the question of wool and duty" said |
Col. Smith, 'they should get and study
Representative Burrows speech on the
wool question delivered in the house in
April LIST. 1t is well worth studying
and has not been answered by any free
trader :"
SONG AND CHORUS.