St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-22
TWO THOUSAND MILLS.
hH INTERESTING REVIEW or THE
W00LEN INDUSTRY.
WHY THEY ARE SHUT DOWN.

Some Facts and Figures OF Great
interest to the Student as Well
as the manufacturer and Pro-
neutrality-suspicious. With the
Past and Present, and Several
Bits of History.
Frederick Horigan, representing the
Joseph NJ. Hayes. Wooden Company of
st. Louis, is a guest at the West hotel
Mr.. Horigap is accounted to be one of
the best experts on the WOODEN industry
in the country.
In conversation with GLOBE
reporter he gave great many interest
ing facts about the industry, bis talk.
in fact, being in the nature of a review
from the earliest times 10 the present.
Replying to queries he said:
The past season has been a disas-
trous one for the wool growers and
manufacturers in this country, and
about rs per cent of the mills have been
SUIT down from thirty to ninety days
during the summer on account of the
scarcity of capital, and the skilled la
Dor has been scattered or disseminated.
The result has been that not more than
40 to so per cent of the product Of
last wear Will be turned out
The mills find it impossible to duplicate
orders, as the original orders are always
given six months in advance OF the i'm
pending season. A year ago the raw
product in Ohio ana Wisconsin was all
bought up, and at present the growers
are holding stocks on account OF the
reduced prices, which range from Is to
20 cents per pound, in consequence OF
which the farmers are discouraged.
This is shown by the stockyards reports,
which tell of the great slaughter OF
sheep and lambs. Australian wool can
be bought for 10 or II cents per pound,
while with an addition of one. cent for
transportation it can be landed in the
United States.
In 1865 a society was organized In
what is now the state of New York, the
object of which was to repudlate for
eign cloths, and measures were adopted
for the propagation of domestic prod
ucts, while the slaughter of sheep and
lambs was prohibited. The result, of
course, was that the growing of wool in
the United States was greatly encour-
aged.
Regarding free wool. experience has
taught us that we cannot grow the same
grade as in the old country, but this
can be left to the statesmen. AS an
Illustration, it may be cited that we do
not tax the coffee from Brazil nor the tea
from Japan, for the reason that we are
not favored with these particular prod
ucts of those climes. The climate,
water and grass are conditions that
enter into wool growing.
In 1851 and 1852, when wool was on the
free list, domestic wool brought more
than it has ever since. The raw pro-
duct cuts but small figure compared to
the labor and manufacture OF the
finished article, which is rs per cent OF
the expense.
But this leads to a consideration of
tariff problems which l do not care to
discuss at this time.
For instance,a suit of clothes contain
ing three and quarter yards of fifty
four-inch cloth. will average sixteen
ounces of wool to the yard, About so
per cent of the raw material is wasted i'll
the manufacturing, which makes only
about six and half pounds that
enters into the suit Of clothes,
and with f1uctuation of 10 to 20 cents
per pound would make a difference OF
Is cents to S1.20 on the suit of clothes.
The wool imported during the last five
years amounted to 100000 900 pounds, or
nearly so per cent OF our consumption.
Regarding the wooden industry per Sc
in the United States, it labored under
many difficulties at an early day, but in
1774 a substantial accession of Weavers
from the old world to this country gave
healthy impetus to the industry. In
the year 1871 L find in the report of
Alexander Hamilton On the state
of manufactures in the United
States mention of the flour
ishing WOODEN mill at Hart
ford, Conn.,, and its expansion and
growth from then on has been active.
In 1910 there were l, APO wooden mills of
all classes i'll the United States, capital
lied at $15,5GO,000, employing 2l,452
hands, and turning out manufactured
products valued at over SIC. 100000 The
latest report, that of 1890, shows about
1000 mills in operation, with capital
in round figures of S100,000,000. These
mills furnish employment to co.,
600 people, whose earnings amount to
about S27, 900, 600, and producing prod
uctS equal To $685. 600 annually.
OF manufactured imports the United
States pays TO Europe annually the big
sum of $65,000,0 900. This deprives our
wage earnerS of nearly Sl1, 100000, and
gives employment to about 10000 for
elgners.
England finds market in the United
States for one-fifth of her exports of
worsteds. valued at e2. 600, while we
pay another 81, 100000 for wooden cloths
from her looms.
In addition to the imports from Eng
land, we import largely from Germany,
France, Austria and other foreign coun-
tries, and while the WOODEN industry in
the United States is fairly prosperous.
statistics on importations will show that
our own mills furnish but modicum of
our consumption.
NO GOLD FEET.