The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-07-03
IMPORTATION OF WOOLENS.
Effect of the New Tariff on the
American Market.
Reduced Duties Have Caused no Loss
to Home Manufacturers. How
Free Raw Wool Has Stimu-
lated the Industry. The
Consumer Benefited.

Mention has been made IN these COL
umns OF the oxtravagant assertions Of
the protectionlst organs iii regard to the
imports of wool and woolens under the
new tariff since Jan. /, 1895. says the
Philadelphia Record. These imports are
said TO have been SO enormous as to
have caused great loss and injury to
American manufacturers and their en-
ployees In order to present the worst
possible showing, comparison has been
mado with the trade returns of last
year, when the total imports of wooden
goods amounted III value TO only $lG,-
S53.2i5.
During the latter months of the panic
year 1894 large quantities of wooden
goods wcro withheld i'll bond for the
purpose of entering them undor the
new tariff. When the schedule of wool
ems won't into effect, on the 1st of Janu-
airy, 1895, these goods We're admitted
under tho DOW rates. Thus in Decem-
ber, 1894, the imports of wooleus
amounted in value to 81, 942.974 In
January, 1S9h these imports amounted
in valuc to $7,037,111 but i'll March
they fell to $4,320,1 40. BY euuatinR
the imports of woolens during the last
three months of 1894 and the first three
months of 1895 with tho corresponding
periods of tho Mckinley years, 1892 and
1913, 1t will be seen that the increase
OF woolens under tho new tariff was
very small in value, Notwithstanding the
substantial reduction OF tho duties. In
1898 tho total value of the imports of
woolcns was $3S, GAS, jI5, or more than
double the value Of the imports of 1894,
with which tho protectiouist mnnipula-
tors of trade returns choose to make their
comparisons. The imports of WOODEN
goods i'll 1895 do not promise to exceed
the average of the years 1899 and 1894.
So much for the flooding" of the
American markets with foreign wooden
goods under tho new tariff. The imports
OF raw wood tell somewhat different
story, but ono altogether consistent with
tho interests of American manufacturers.
During tho year ] S94 the imports of raw
wool (ohictly carpet WOODY amounted TO
only 90. l52, $50 pounds against l72 1873.
S5S pounds in the year 1895 In tho
months OF January, February and March,
1898, tho imports Of wool amounted TO
on, 445, Az pounds, or nearly us much
as the total imports of 1894. These i'm
portatlons, consisting largely of fine
Clothing woods, indicate anything else
than that American manufacturers of
woolcns are suffering under the new tar
If. They show that our manufacturers
have eagerly awaited themselves of the
opportunity offered by free raw wool 10
enter into vigorous competition with
their foreign rivals.
The SOS, O4S, SIS of imports of wooden
goods III 1898 paid $3I ,2S7.5l4 of duty
| ut the custom house Under the new
tariff the duties on these goods woDld
have amounted TO less than $l7 .OOO, 600.
But vastly more than the public reve-
nues have lost has been gained by Amer
lean consumers i'll the reduced cost ms
We'll rs III tho improved quality of their
clothing, imported ana domestic. Yet in
the face of the abolition of specific duties
on wooden goods and the reduction Of
All valorem duties, the false urctense is
kept up by calamity organs that the new
tarlh has greatly encouraged the frludu-
lent valuations OF this class of imports.
Inc truth Is that there are no complaints
OF undervaluations of these goods under
the now tariff. With tho disappearance
OF the Mckinley tariff the temptation to
smuggling and fraudulent valuations of
woolens has been greatly diminished.
The profits of the contraband traffic no
longer Justify the risks involved in it.
The cries of fraudulent valuations of
woolcns under the new tariff arc mere
echoes of tho complaints that were ripe
III the spoliatory epoch OF McKinlcyism.
Then the protectionist organs had not
discovered the evils of the ad valorem
system, nor had they heard Of the frauds
IN valuations of imports of woolcns.
They did not make the discovery till The
duties on these imports had been sub
stantially reduced.
Soma YnnuU Women ara NYnarino thnir