Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-02-16
WOOL AND WOOL srArlsrICs.
Some Interesting Reading for shseE
Rsissrs and Wool Growers.

Some Interesting Reading for sheep
Raissrs and Wool Growers.
Ex-senator James H. Slater, Of Ore
ron. writes: Authentic tables OF
market prices Of domestic wools are not
difficult Of access to any who desire re-
liable information; tables compiled by
wool merchants froEa year to year giving
the prices at which domestic woods were
actually sold, and to which wool mer-
chants throughout the country constantly
refer, and which ON account Of the re-
| liability Of the information and data
they contain, have been fIom year to
year transferred bodily into the treasury
reports Of statistics for the United States.
In the thirteenth statistical abstract Of
the treasury, prepared by the chief OF the
bureau of statistics, under Secretary
Window, will be found table Of Prices
Of tine, medium, and coarse, washed
clothing, Ohio fleece wool, in the eastern
markets for the months Of January,
April, July and October Of each year
from 1924 to 1890, inclusive" covering .
period Of 81 years.
A glance at this table shows that in
the long sweep VI years there has been
great fiuctuation in the prices Of these
woods. Sometimes these variations only
affect year or two, or one or two quar-
tiers Of Q single year, and again Tor q
number Of years coneecutively, prices
rule high or low. The short periods Of
, low or high prices we're evidently pro-
duced by fleeting circumstances, while
, the longer periods must be attributed tC
conditions OF greater permanence.
r Anyone familiar with the periods Of
tariff legislation, affecting wool, cannot
> fail, by the most casual study Of thil
n table, TO note the significant fact ths
these longer periods of high and low
range Of prices very closely correspond Il
d these tariff periods-the low ranges o
Q prices coming under periods Of high du
ties, while the higher range Of price
. occur coincidently with the periods o
: lowest tariff duties.
}, Thus, from 1924 to 1916, q period of 2
/. years, was period Of high, though no
Is equally high, duties throughout the pc
@ Rod, and it is Q significant fact that thi
table shows, this period, especially tn
last six or eight years, TO have been
n period of declining prices in thes
4 Ohio woods. From lS47 to 1861 inclu
~ sive was period Of extremely loV
IN tariff rates on wool, especially the Las
10 four years, and it is significant that thi
period Of fifteen years of low duties TO
Il, lowing the former period Of twenty -thre
y, years of high duties, on wool, is marke
y by steady rise in the price Of these Obi
y woods, q rise fully equal in the fftee
90 years to the loss sustained in the pr
vious twenty-three years.
10 Again, passing over the war periot
10 and taking the years from 1858 to 1881
inclusive, q period of % years Of o.
r. tremely high duties on wool, especial
Id devised for the benefit Of these Obi
Mt washed woods, the duty on wsshs
ne clothing woods being 20 cents pour
On throughout the whole period and up
e. and including SO, IL per cent ad valorer
tie equal to from three to four cents p
pound more, this table discloses the q
Of founding fact that Notwithstanding the
le- enormous duties, these woods decline
lie steadily throughout the period, markir
lat In the last years the lowest range
1t prices for the whole period OF 81 years.
re- To bring the foregoing stated fat
OF more completely to the attention, and
photograph them, as it were. 70 the ey
w it is only necessary to make compa
n son of the average prices Of these WOO
nj, as recorded in this table for the diff
nd ent periods, and present the result
US. tabulated form, thus giving comprehe
did sive view of the whole question. -.
nd Such an average of the price OF OF
washed fleece woods for the months
ro January, April. July and October for
~ w periods indicated, is as follows:
'al First and last year Of each period
IN dictated, included