New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-13

are opposed to the repeal OF the duties on so
called materials which enter into competition
with domestic products. and he believed that free
wool would cause the extinction Of the woolgrow-
ing industry of the United states. Mr. Turner
opened a discussion with Mr., Clark on the subject
OF free raw material" and wanted 70 know why
hides should be free and wool dutiable He also
called attention to the fact that large quantities
OF leather and its manufactures are exported as
comparcd with the exports Of woOllcn goods. Mr.
Clark ala not profess 10 be familiar with the hide
and leather trade but he consented to say that he
had meyer heard Of cattle being raised and slaugh-
tered for the hides while sheep raised for the
fleece. He also remarked th.' about half the hidrs
and skins imported into the United states are goat
skins which not produced in this country, ana
he called attention to the fact that the lnited
States enjoys a peculiar advantage in the manufact-
ure Of leather over all other countries except can
ada by having extensive areas OF hemlock forest.
Mr.. Clark showed that tn average wages paid IN
the manufa cturing INDUSTRIES Of the United states
are much higher than the average wages in similar
Industries in Europe. from twice to three tunes as
larg". in fact, and testified that the aver
age productiveness and efficiency of European labor
is about equal that Of American labor, while the
machinery usel is Of equal capacity.
This statement is supported by the experience OF
W. g. Steele Of Philadelphia. who removed his
tariff in 1888 and again returned to the United States
after the enactment OF the law of 1890. He en-
ployed the same and used the same machn-
cry in both countries and found that the average
production to the hand in Europe was equal 10
or greater than that Of the same hand working III
s y. d. North. secretary OF the National As
ISOLATION of Wool Manufacturers. read carefully
prepared statement some of the salient points oi
which were follows: ,-,
owing to threats Of hostile tariff legislation
about = per cent OF the woollen and worsted ma
chinery oil the country is now idle ana most or IL
must remain idle until the existing uiGel AMY t
Is removed. No change made in the woollen tarit
should become opsrativ' before January iss,
amount Of capital Invested IN woo,l,n xnis
turing lndusir in ths United stats eXGsTs
seoOo and the Industry fnrnishss sin e"P oVsr
l,ooooc pounds Of wool each year. and producing
goods worth t50.GOCoo. OF every grade ana
kind Mir North said that the recent proposed
revisions Of the wool schedule were faulty and the
reductions II made. would have caused Widespread
disaster suddenly to adopt free wool would be
4 change more radical hazardous and dihcut th nan
10 ASSUME. That by repeating the duties on wool
can MANUFACTURER would be placed In the same
relative position in regard to his foreign cP"R {rs
wool IN. American manufacturer Will be hand
capped to the extent OF IL per ec fsn' nties con-
tain an element OF safety. particularly on the
cheaper grades Of goods The repeal Of t ,,as
measure and will involve great loss 10 eVrry I
body srch r' Who yhS rM the goods
Mr. North then as the representIav I've ,, D np
Manufacturers Association contended for unll9Ln,
al valorem rates OF duty OF 90 per cent on "ool,
clothing 80 per cent on 3thcr woTsn goIuI many Of
per cent yarns but he remarked tna' ir"'y a y.
th. manufacturers regarded these rates as Inau u,
cqunte and had given their Reasons III tae's THO w.
him which he would hle with the committee ne
rates mentioned were not suSBested as co,l-
promise but as the lowest nat the american r nr r
cent il would be Impossible To manufacture many
varieties o, woo HHap, f Sw yery RADICAL reduction
OF wages Indeed. wage reductions would De re-
T WHEN thr Lila Congrrss must accept. The re-
duction suggested would amount TO nearly 80 per
ImportntIons must be doubled. and that would result
in "A corresponding curtarent of domestic produc-
I people Mr North contsnded that duty of % per
cent to-day Is not higher rate than was % per
cent in 1861 this being true mainly on account oil
the decline in values since that timc. re also IN n
Der cent would be- levied upon the foreign value
of the goods imported which Would Dc saa'V vaI
The manufacturers are most reluctant TO see spe-
cine rates a5nd2hrn ou ,h ,'y rnvisop ~, Of The adj
We in tn. wooen industry are about 100 per
cent higher in the United states than in Great
britain and the same or srratcr dsparity Exists
cost of administration. capital taxes mill plant,
and I'm partly manufactured supplies when are
dmtiable when imported The manufacturers insist,
ton in favor OF partly manufactured products ana 4
yarns from the wool up shall be MANUFACTURED in
the United States as it Is that cloths shall be
were curious to know whether the use of shodiy
In the manufacture Of woollcn goods Is lncrGashg;
was not and that its is Increasing more rapidly
in Great Britain than in any 9the, county, nr,,r If
Mnssa chusctts who declared that the reductions
which he understood IT was proposed to make would
render the property occupied by the woollen manu-
featuring industry valueess. not to us owner pd ~.
to the communities in which 1t IL stuatsn IL
would be worthless for taxing purposes for eN-
ample He also explained that the woollen industry
rohber barons' as sc"ms to be generally be
lcvcd. but is owned by multitude OF persons most
OF whom are in moderate circumstance iney ar
the owners of "A few shares each and large pro-
portion OF the capital employed IS borrowed from
savings banks and the trustees Of trust FUNDS me
depositofs in sa wings banks. well as the owners
and holders OF funds in trust are therefore All IN
terrsted In the success and prosperity OF the IN
T,,strv Nr Whitman then gave the committee the
heneft Of some interesting computations which he
had made to show how large importatlons must be
AZ various rates OF duty on the basis OF last year
/ mportations to prevent any loss Of revenue He
showed that in order to produce from wooen good.
was collected on wool and woollen goods last year
the yearly importationS would have TO increase
n 0fa 0'N No such increase would De poEs'-
bic without seriously Gripping American industries
and the same time creating demand tIsa' Wonu
cause "A sharp advance In the prices OF foreign
MIR whitman gave an exceedingly interesting ac-
count OF the means by which he obtained correct
| comparative statement OF wages ana productive
ness OF wages In the woollen concern OF which he
il the trea surer: In the woolien mills OF Bradford
England. IN woollen MIL IN France ana one 10 ~,
he prepared at the cost Of a good deal OF time
and labor not for publication. but In order TO ma
! Massachusetts as In Europe. showed that average
"',"o~ IN IN, STATE are 'wic- high a. In Brad
ford England AMI considerably more man aoup ne
the average wages paid IN France and Befi'i'I anu
mat the productiveness % the labor In Mhssachu-
setts and the European countries men' ,h wn.
equal The Investigations upon when tne S'" ~.
! nent was based made by graduate OF 'e