The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-12-01
EVILS OF THE wooL SCHEDULE.

Nv W tueu' Lucy eutoItulh BlOOthJ
views.
EVILS OF THE WOOL SCHEDULE
A Boston Experts Opinion = Likely to
Work Complete Transformation In
the Industry and Prove Staggering
Blow TO AIanufncturers.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9N-In response
to the request OF New York Tribune
correspondent, S. N. D. North, Of Bos-
ton, whose knowledge OF the subject is
universally understood and highly re-
spected, has prepared a statement in
which he says: "The wooden schedule
will be a startling shock to everyone
engaged in that manufacture, Free
wool was Of course looked for and is
much regretted, but free wool means q
complete transformation OF the indus
try, the relearning Of the whole bust
ness, and the re-equlpment Of our mills.
Before the domestic manufacturers can
adjust themselves to these new condi-
tons under the proposed rates OF duty
the foreigners will have had opportuni-
ty to possess themselves OF the domes.
tic market. There will be an interval
OF year or two in which they will
have things all their own way in this
market, and in the meanwhile antici-
patio that o considerable percentage OF
existing machinery will retire perma-
nently from business in despair at the
future prospects.
"The complete wiping out Of the
specific duties is, Of course, the most
deplorable feature OF the schedule. 1t
10 the more striking in its discrimina-
ton because Of the general retention OF
specific duties in the cotton schedule.
The total reduction in the Woollen
schedule on this account is much greater
than appears on the face, and cannot be
measured evenapproximately in figures.
But it is safe to say that it will equal so
per cent upon the total importations OF
the fiscal year 1892, which would mean
loss OF revenue on wooden goods, and
not counting tho SS,00O,000 OF revenue
from wool duties Of so, 500, 900 on the
same volume Of importatiops. But. OF
course the imports under such sche-
dule would jump at once greatly, even
without a revival of general prosperity,
and probably to an extent in the first
year which would mean loss Of rev.
enue fully $780, 1000 greater than above
calculated, or S2S,000,00O. The wooden
schedule is not MS good for the manu-.
facturer as was the Mills bill, with its
uniform duty of 40 per cent, but it is
in some particulars an Improvement
over the Springer bill, and in others it
ia decidedly worse. 1t is especially
hard on the carpet manufacturers, re-
ducing the duty on all but the very
high-priced carpets 10 25 per cent This
looks like q special drive at Philadel-
phia, which will suffer incalculable loss
II such rates OF duty ever become law.
Another branch Of the industry es-
pecially singled out for slaughter is the
manufacture OF paper makers felts,
which are put under duty which runs
from % to IS per cent, and will not ay-
erage over 80 per cent. The knit goods
industry is also struck a blow that will
stagger it The bill makes the extraor.
binary blunder OF introducing dividing
lines Of value in the yarn and blanket
and flannel paragraphs. Why this
should have been deemed necessary in
tariff that is wholly nd valorem in its
duties cannot be explained. It puts a
premium upon under-valuations and
will be the source OF incalculable
mischief. The duty on yarns valued
at over 40 cents pound is So per cent,
while the duty on all cloths made from
those yarns is only 40 per cent. Amer
lean manufacturers will be aghast at
these figures. The weaver is obliged to
take all tho risks OF business, to incur all
the losses arising from defective work
manship, and yet he is allowed a mar
gin of only 5 per cent over the yarn man
ufacturer, who encounters none OF these
risks. The bill might allow the yarn
manufacture to continue here, but
makes it impossible for that yarn TO be
woven at profit. The trainers Of it
were evidently unaware Of the true re-
lationship between duties, and 1t Is
amazing that Mr.. Stevens, who is a
practical manufacturer, should ever
have given his consent to schedule so
disiointed.
Fortunately the duty on, all cloths
is 'made uniform. This duty OF! 40 per
cent is placed on the figure that has
been in the Democratic mind since the
Mills bill. 1t is a figure which means
ruin to q very large branch Of the
American wool manufacture-that en-
gagged in producing cheap goods for
the masses, foreign makes OF which
have been excluded from our market
by the weight duty. Free wool will be
OF no great advantage to these manu-
tacturers, while, on tho contrary, they
will have to contend with duty OF 10
per cent on shoddy, mungo and all the
wastes utilized so successfully by the
English manufacturers in the produc-
ton of this class of goods, And they
are allowed no compensatory duty
to offset this demand OF an important
free raw material. English manufac-
turers are now making these cloths at
considerably less than oue-half the
cost to make them here. As has
been proved before the ways
and means committee, an excep-
tionally large proportion Of tho differ
enCe in cost as beEWeen these and fine