Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-12-03
FACTS ABOUT WOOL.
EXAMINATION OF FREE RAW MATE
RIAL RESULTS.

x.,,r,ous TO Wooden Manufacturers and
Their Employees Disastrous Losses to
American sheep Owners-The National
treasury Depleted by s24. 600, 600 Year.
The comparison that has been made
~ the American Protective Tariff league
tatween the condition of American
gage earners this year and in 1892 has
hrouqht l05 reports from manufacturers
~ WOODEN and worsted goods. These re-
oorts show the number Of hands en-
nloyed in these establishments two
Years after enjoyment of the protection
Afforded by the Mckinley tariff-in
July, 1S92-and two years after the en-
,oyment of the great free trade gift of
free VIOLIN July, 1896. The results
10 labor compare as follows:
No. Of Hands employed. Of wages paid
con July, July. July, July,
Germs 1872 1870, lse2. 1895.
lO5 21,754 ll,433 1928, 45S s27s. 762
Hands idle in July, lsoe-lO,a2i, or almost 50
Wages lost in July. lses--ss4s.ese or over SO
cent OF AT tne rhVe OF ~, iSo,JOs u year Ill
l05 establishments
Average monthly wages in July, ls92-s29.
Average monthly wages in july lS96-s24.
1t appears, then, that the Democratic
gift of free wool, which Mr. Bryan ad-
yocated and voted for, instead of ena-
bling our wooden manufacturers to
manufacture for wider market, has
contracted by fully one half the market
that they used to possess in 1892, SO
much so that they have been compelled
TO discharge almost 90 per cent of their
bands, to reduce the average rate of
wages by So IA month among those who
were Fortunate enough to retain their
jobs and to decrease the total pay rolls
of the mills by 56 per cent, at the rate
Of 81, 1868 year in 105 factories.
The reports cover rather more than
one-sixth of the total number of the
wage earners in the wooden mills in
1890, and also rather more than one
sixth of the total amount of wages paid
them in the same year. Therefore, apply
ing our results TO the census figures, we
find that there were over 60, 600 WORK
ers in all our wooden mills idle after two
years of the free trade i'll wool expert
ment; also that the total annual loss of
wages aggregated at the rate Cf $50, 000,-
600 year.
But the results are even worse than
this, because the effect of the protective
tariff of 1890 was to largely increase
the number of our wooden mills. to
largely increase the number of hands
working in the mills and to largely
widen the market for our wooden goods
Hence the comparison with 1890 by no
means reflects a proper comparison with
the total condition of the industry in
1899. 1t is perfectly safe to say that
more than 60, 600 wooden workers have
been out of employment, owing to the
Democratic policy of free trade in wool,
which Bryan voted for, and that their
loss of wages has been more than at the
rate Of $25, 000 600 year AS far as
the wooden manufacturers are concern
ed, we have the following results of
(. their failures:
Nine Wooden trade failures
months. Number. Liabilities.
1894. ............... AZ $l,165 3O5
1870. .,.........,....... ~ 62ou26
IN
Free wool has also reduced the farm
value of sheep by $50, TAI, $40 between
the close of 1892 and the beginning of
1896. 1t has also caused loss of $780,
900, 600 in the annual farm value of
our wool product. 1t has also caused
loss of $8,227, 266 in the annual rev.
enue Of the government through the
abolition of the protective tariff on
wool also further loss of 81 $50, 500
to the national revenue since 1892
through the abolition of the protective
tariff on American manufactured WOOL
Ell goods, thus making a total loss of
upward of $24, 1000, 600 year in gov
eminent revenue. In short, it has re-
suited III the disastrous loss of millions
Of dollars to farmers, to manufacturers,
to wage earners and to the nations
treasury. We have had more than enough
of this free trade experiment.