The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-19
THE WOOL QUESTION.

Tt would seem to people of ordinary
good sense and common honesty thai
in face of the facts known to all sheep
men and wool dealers, no person OF
paper would have the hardihood to dis
pute the rise in wool prices that has
occurred since the passage of the Dem
ocratic tariff bill which placed wool
upon the free list. Yet we have Re-
publican paper in this city, which
boldly asserts that wool is at present
commanding but half the figure OBJ
tanned in 1892
Tt is established Beyond reasonable
dispute that when under the Mckinley
bill the duty on wool was raised, it did
not protect the wool industry in the
manner which it was claimed it would.
/ The price of American WOODS went
steadily down. Local dealers say, when
questioned on the matter, that they
paid II cents pound for wool in 1892.
That is the figure which territorial
wool now commands in Montana, and
some Of that very so-called Montana
wool has been shipped from Utah
shearing places, care having been
taken in preparing it for the market
Montana wool has a better reputation
! in the east than Utah wool has. The
Herald has repeatedly given advice to
Utah sheep men which, if followed,
would have made their fleeces quite as
acceptable in the market as the woods
from any other western state or terri
tory.
But Utah woods, known to be such,
are selling here at 10 cts. a pound and
still there are sheep owners who are
holding Gu to their feeces with a full
expectation of getting yet higher fig
ures. The market is on the up grade.
The ruin predicted by our Republican
prophets Of evil has fallen 20 the
ground. That is the great point in dis
pUte.
The contention was that the higher
tariff on wool was absolutely neces-
sary for the protection of the wool
growers of this country against the
cheap woods of Australia. Facts which
no one who has any regard for truth
will dispute, show that the opera
ton of the high tariff was
exactly contrary to the theory
on which it was based. Wool
went down rapidly under the high
tariff, and territorial wool commanded
a less price than even the duty which
was placed upon it under the Mckinley
law, which was II cts. pound
Under the operations Of free trade
in wool the domestic price has gradu-
ally advanced, with the prospects that
it will reach satisfactory figures. The
predictions about this country being
flooded" with Australian woods have
also turned out to be utterly fallacious.
They cannot be brought into American
markets at the prices which are being
paid for domestic woods. 1t would not
matter if they could be, because as
The Herald has many times explained.
they are of different texture from our
native woods and are needed by manu-
facturers to mix with the varieties pro-
dUced in different parts of the United
States. The demand for one kind in
creases rather than diminishes the de-
mand for other kinds.
Whether sheep men admit it or not,
taking into consideration the increase |
in the fiocks which, as The Herald has
stated on the authority of Wyoming
and Utah sheep men, has been 1O4 per
cent. on the ewes in the flocks, with |
the price which is now obtained for the |
wool produced, the sheep industry is |
one Of the very best in this western |
Were it not for the losses
which occasionally overtake sheep |
oTners-and they, very often, through |
lack OF care and proper arrangements |
there would be no business in all this
region which would yield such munii-
cent returns as the sheep and wool in
dustry.
As to present prices, we clip the fol-
lowing from Bradstreet's Of July 18th.
which we think even the incorrigible
1enier of the plainest facts and figures,
which is a near neighbor Of ours, will
have the hardihood to dispute
The market continues to advance I'M
Ter the effect of large sales, the bust
ness reported in Boston the past week
footing up nearly II, 100000 pounds,
making the sales for the past four
weeks 50, 600 900 pounds. This business
includes considerable traffic between
ieaterS, the nigh prices asked for wool
n the country compared with the sea-
BOARD making it an inducement for
lealers who did not purchase supplies
.arly to buy from their neighbors on
rather than to bring the
yools forward. The business is yet
argely confined to territory and for
ign woods. as few fleeces have come
Onward. Choice staple territory woods
# fine medium and fine quality are
low quoted on the secured basis of 35
137c., with choice Montana at 1c
nQre, while less choice woods range
Town as to quality. Fleece woods show
strong tone for mediums, with No. ?
lothing and combing 1c. above No. /
n price. Australian woods are about
C. higher. South American woods sell
veil.
REPUBLICAN DIsSENSIoNS.