The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-22
FIGHTING SHEEP

NOW 10TH
ut does not appear that the Democratic
narty has made successful war on any
thing except the American sheep OF
those II has slaughtered about 100000
a.ready or more than a sixth In re-
cent comment on the statement of Mr..
Justice about prices Of wool, 1t was OBJ
served that the domestic production had
been greatly reduced. There Is now
! pub.lshed the official estimate of the Ma
! tional Association Of Wool Manufacture
/ ers. which has been regarded for years
past az the most trustworthy, showing
! the production of wool this year The
weight per fleece has only slightly di-
minished, but the slaughter of sheep has
| reduced the yield about 54,0OO,0OO pounds
| in two years. Practically, these two
years of Democracy have set this in
| dustry back where 1t was fourteen years
| ago. For the estimated production this
year 294,2o6,726 pounds, is little larger
| than that of 1884, when it was 90,0OO 0OO0
pounds, and the destruction of sheep
since April l Las undoubtedly lowered
/ the productive c5.acity considerably
further. The Agricultural Department
reports S9,9l9,3SS sheep April /, against
47.278,5 8,553 January /, 1898, and the s,augh-
tering at the few Western cities which
keep records thereof has been remark
ably heavy within the last five months
The association reckons the annual sup
ply by adding imports for the year end
ing June 30, 1895, to the quantity of wool
purchased this year, and the quantity
in bonded warehouse June 80, 1891. This
mode of reckoning shows a supply of
s6O, ,S65, ,456 pounds, against 555, 7O2 in the
year 1893 But 1t Is a mode open to criti-
cism, since the imports for the subse-
quent fiscal year would more nearly
coincide in time of consumption with the
consumption of the domestic crop OF
1896 Most of the WOO, imported in the
first half of the fiscal year ending with
June had already been consumed by
the 1st of January, and the imports in
the months of May and June since the
new clip came in, were about 20,0000OO
pounds per month, and appear to be
continuing at about the same rate. 1t
Is this constant new supply and not
the quantity brought over from previous
years, which makes 1t so improbable
that even the present low price of domes-
tic wool can be maintained without still
greater slaughter of sheep. The supply
as stated by the association Is largely
in excess of the actual consumption in
the manufacture during any past year,
the wooden works nave been or are now
operated to their full capacity.
The bottom fact of the whole business
is one which nobody will seriously dis
pute, namely, that the people in this
country in the present condition of their
industry and with their present wages,
do not take into consumption so large
a quantity of wooden goods of all kinds,
domestic and imported as they did in
mere prosperous years. 1t is true that
purchases were very heavy for a time,
when recovery of business encouraged
dealers everywhere to replenish stocks,
and consumers to make up in part for
the purchases deferred during about two
years of economy. But that was not a
permanent condition OF things, nor have
sagacious men expected 1t to be- If, then.
we do not take into consumption so great
a quantity of goods, both foreign and
domestic, as in former prosperous years.
and import a much larger quantity, it
necessarily follows that the quantity of
goods taken into consumption must be
smaller and hence the mills cannot con-
sumo, except for a short time, so large
a quantity of wool as they formerly con-
sumed But If of the diminished guam
tity consumed a much larger proportion
lS foreign, Ine S0TlnkdSe III ueHanu lot
domestic wool must be- serious.
The census showed that the consump-
tion of wooden and worsted cloth from
domestic mills was about 112, 900 900 yards
In the census year, and there were also
added about 16,000,0 pounds foreign cloth
The consumption was greater in 1892,
though snlIer of foreign, but the figures
for the census year viii serve to illus
trate the position. amounting for six
months to 56,OOOOOO yards and 5000 900
pounds. In six months of 1896 there
rave been imported and taken from
warehouse 20,57O,629 pounds foreign cloths,
or 100000 pounds more than the ha,f
years consumption, reducing by quar-
ter the quantity of American goods re-
quired. This state of things continuing
the quantity of wool required for the
manufacture of such cloths would of
necessity be reduced about quarter,
But of the wool taken into consumption,
as reports of sales show, the quantity
Of foreign Is fully 40 per cent larger than
in former prosperous years, since May
LIST 56Sj6,255 pounds having been sold,
against a, ,743 400 in 1892. II instead OF
56,00O00O yards the works produce A.
OO00OO and of the smaller quantity OF
wool required they use 40 per cent more
foreign than in former years, 1t Is easy
to see how the demand for domestic wool
must be reduced If successful in moth |
ing else, the Democrats have at least |
succeeded remarkably in their war
against the wool growers.