The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-06-17

ss:a ', .sn. Ss ]; +:
/ things shown in its
pages:
The March importations of wool in 1897
| were 5S,O85, 1880 pounds, against 1881
SAT pounds in March, 1896, and against
only 3,4SS,415 pounds in the last March
of the Mckinley law. The importations
of rags, noils, ETC., in March, 1897, was
/ 5,466, 461 pounds. against 1,5O4 pounds in
the last March of the Mckinley law.
These quantities Of free wool and shoddy
now in stock here are not particularly
| cheering to the growers of good American
| wool, for it will be some months before
| they can be absorbed by the country and
place made for the home product. The
number Of cattle imported in March, 1897,
under the Wilson law was $500, while
in March, 1894, under the Mckinley law
the number imported was 311. The num-
| Der of pounds of hides imported in March,
1897, in view of the prospective duty on
hides, was two and half times as much
as in March of the last year of the Nc
Kinley law, amounting to nearly three
million dollars in value The hay import
ed in March, 1895, 1896 and 1897, under
| the Wilson law was over 10000 tons,
averaging about three times as much az
was imported in the last March of the
/ Mckinley law. The world, according to
| this official report, is being raked over to
| find wool to be brought to this country
before the new tariff law goes into effect.
The importations of wool during March,
1897, came from Austria Hungary, Bel
| GUM, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy,
Portugal, Roumania, Baltic Russia,
Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Nova
| Scotia, the Black Sea ports Dutch West
Indies, Argentine, Brazil, Chill, Peru,
| Uruguay, Venezuela, China, British East
Indies, Asiatic Russia, Turkey in Asia,
British Australia, British Africa, Egypt.
This is pretty fair showing.
| Among other things this summary pre-
sents a table of especial interest to agri-
! culturists. 1t shows the monthly average
prices of the principal articles of merchan-
| disc imported and exported during the
| past year. Extracts from the table are
| given below, the exports representing
| their market value at the date of expOr-
! ta<ion, while the imported articles repre-
| sent their values in foreign markets. This
| latter fact should be born in mind con-
| stantly in examining the comparative fig
ures as the prices of imported articles ap-
pear low, until it is remembered that the
values given relate to the prices in foreign
markets, and do not include the amounts
| added, for freight, tariff, handling and
dealers profits, before they reach the
| consumer in this country.
Comparative Tables.
| Table showing average values of COM
| - 60 rt IN Arr
and in March, 1897:
wiz. APRIL; 1896 April, 1897.
Wheat flour. per Dbl $500 s412
Pops nor il cents 1es cents cent:
Cheese, per b.. 90 cents 1913 cents
Leaf tobacco. ........7.4 cents 10 cents
Table showing average prices in for
eign markets of commodities which farm
ers consume, in April, 1896, and March,
| 1897:
oa April 1885, 4 dsa1. 1891.
| Coffee lab 11.2
Cotton cloth, pei I'd. 81 SO
Picked herrings. lib. 80 2.5
Mackerel, per lb.....a2 o.
Beet sugar "a IL
| Dress goods, per I'd .SO.7 7.5
1t will be seen from the above that the
selling price of practically everything
which the farmer has had to put upon the
market has increased during the year and
that the buying price of things which he
consumes has decreased.
The State Department is in receipt of q
communication from the United States
consul at Odessa, Russia, to the effect
that large quantities of Russian wool OF
inferior quality are being shipped to this
country and the manufacturers of the
country are cautioned accordingly.
The proposed duty on the quantity OF
rawhide which would be used in the man
ufacture of pair of shoes is estimated at
about cents. Only about one-6fth, how
ever. of the hides used in this country are
imported, so that the increased cost OF
nair of shoes by reason of the duty would
probably not be more than one or two
cents. The average man probably uses
about three pairs Of shoes per year. Does
ANYBODY particularly object to paying
from three to six cents toward the sup
mort of the Government in its present
extremity, especially in view of the great
advantage accruing to the farmer.
One Reason Gold Is Exported.
=. Is Int reasonable, with the importa-
.;ans If foreign goods increasing SO enor-
,nons,y in anticipation OF the repeal OF
.ha Wilson low tariff rates and the en-
ootmpnt of protective taIiH, tuat soiu
norts have increased. The foreign
Ids brought into the country must be
b I'D for in gold, and if such importations
p inarease from ten to twenty millions q
morth If goes without saying that gold
nrnnrts must increase somewhat. Sew
e ZAP ether reasons, notably the desire for
&c. of gold in Europe by rea-
a,o Of war possibilities, show that there
s0r nothing alarming in the exports Of that
m :. s and no cause for the note Of alarm
h0 sra' sounded by the silver advocates
gs,as quantity of gold money in 1873 was
= h 300 1y 10000, while in 1896 it was 3d.
sos1 9eo0oo. being in 1896 so per cent
o0o stsr than the gold and silver money
Sn.rstar, Wilson's latest move is In
making ! practical Investigation to deter
n .aa sections of the country most adapt
I'd esIl to the production of the best quality
Of beer sugar GEORGE MELvILLE