Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-01-25
What Makes Wool So Low, While
Still Protected?

Of November, page 22o, would be
infinitely amusing. He says:
owe have had a high protective
tariff on wool until it has driven
the price of wool so low that there
is no lower deep for it. That is
just on par with question re-
Gently asked at Farmers
Institute, and which l have placed
at the head Of this article.
What is the matter? Is it the
tariff that has done this? or is it
something else? The price of
wool has been dropping for the
past few years all over the world
not here alone but everywhere.
Surely tariff has nothing to do
with this; the cause is to be sought
elsewhere. When we look at the
statistics and see what tremen-
dous increase there has been in
the sheep industry of Australian
and other Southern Hemisphere
countries, we readily see the cause
to be not the tariff but a mighty
expansion in the business of wool
growing.
But now come to our own
markets. The price of wool in
American markets up to and in
Guiding 1892 was just about the
duty higher than those in other
countries. 1t was about that much
higher even than in the Canadian
market, at our very door. But
while the price of woods in the
foreign markets was no lower-in
fact shade higher in 1893 than
in ISo2-the price in our markets
dropped twelve or more cents per
pound. Is Mr.. Bell SO unsophisti-
Gated as to believe this owing to
the tariff? 1t can't be possible. |
think he must be a Democrat; at
least he talks like one trying to
befog the people.
But to answer the question at
the head of this article. The re-
suit of the elections of 1902, and
the placing in the Presidential
chair of man pledged to radical
tariff changes, gave notice to the
wooden manufacturers to prepare
for breakers. Being shrewd bust
ness men, and knowing that it
would take about one year to
place the goods in the market
after the wool crop was bought,
they concluded that they would
not run their mills and take the
chances unless they could buy
wool at the former price, less the
tariff. Worse than this, those
merchants handling wooden goods
would place no orders beyond
their immediate necessities, for
fear that the stock they might
have on hand when the change
was made would by the inevitable
fail in price cause them severe loss,
and this restriction of orders has
caused the mills to either run
short time or shut down entirely.
The result has been that those
who did not sell very early sold
at free trade prices.
AS is my custom, | sheared my
sheep early in the winter of 'o2-o3,
and as soon as the wool was off it
was sent to market with orders to
my commission man to sell at
first offer. | foresaw what would
happen, and did not wish to be
"out in the Storm" The result
was that my wool, unwashed,
netted me IS cents per pound,
while plenty of wool as good as
mine is now in the hands of my
neighbors, for which they would
be glad to take 10 or II cents.
Mr.. Bell says, very truly, there
is no lower deep" for the wool
market. We are now al the free
trade bottom, and we have all the
glorious benefits. How do the
wool growers like it?
1t is true that 1.-The thoughtful
breeders are changing their views
as to the duty on WOOL especially
the Democratic breeds. | have
Democratic friend, a large wool
crou,e,. who 1ourbaI If mo Ioc+