Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-17

Washington, April 16.-Western Sen
ators after several conferences have
reached an agreement to stand together
for important changes in the wool
schedule of the Dingley bill. The Sen
ators most prominently identified with
the movement are Messrs. Mantle, Car
ter, Shoup, Warren and Burrows. They
have not only agreed upon line OF
amendments, but have decided 10 insist
on their inclusion in the bill. The
meetings held have also been attended
by many prominent wool growers.
The proposed amendments are direct
ed mainly TO closing the many loopholes
for evasion and fraud which wool men
allege abound in the Dingley bill, and
were also found IN the Mckinley law.
An amendment was agreed upon pro-
viding that an additional duty of four
cents per pound shall be levied upon
skirted woods as imported in 1890 and
prior to that time. The principal
change, however, to be proposed is up
on wool and camels hair Of the third
class. The Dingley bill proposes an ad
valorem duty of 80 and so per cent re-
spectively upon woods of this class val
ued under and over 13 cents per pound.
II is proposed now to strike out the
Dingley bill clauses relating to third
class woods and to insert instead the
following:
con wools of the third class and
camel's hair of the third class the value
whereof shall be eight cents or less per
pound in the general markets OF the
United States, the duty shall be nVe
cents per pound, and on all woods and
hair of this class the value WHEREOF
shall exceed eight cents per pound IN
the general markets Of the United
States. there shall be an additional duty
of one-half of one cent per pound for
each increase of one cent per pound IN
value thereof"
II Is claimed for this latter amendment
which IS the most important OF all the
amendments proposed, that It will large
" prevent the frauds which it IS alleged
were perpetrated under the ad valorem
duties of the Mckinley law by reason OF
which. It IS asserted, hundreds of millions
Of pounds of wool used in the manufac-
ture of clothing which properly belonged
to the first class were imported at third
class rates on the representation that
they were to be used In the manufacture
Of carpets The clause in the proposed
amendment relating to third class woods
designating the general markets Of the
United States as fixing the value of i'm
ported woods Is regarded as very i'm
portant as II this amendment is admitted.
It will practically destroy the opportunity
for under valuations which now exist
through the practice Of fixing ;he prices
OF these imported woods in foreign couH-
tries.
Other precautions Will also be urged 10
this end. such as defining the meaning of
classifcations TO as to prevent restric-
tions such as have heretofore been used.
For instance. the words Angora Ad-
rianople Bagdad. etc. will be defined as
indicating a class Of wool regardless Il
the special district in which grown.
Senatol Mantle, who introduced the
memorial OF the National Wool Growers
Association IN the Senate, says that the
amendments do not nearly cover the de-
mands made by the association, but. in
his opinion, will be a vast improvement
upon the bill as it passed the House OF
Representatives. It will remain with the
Western Senators, he says. TO say wheth-
er or not the proposed amendments shall
become part Of the new tariff law. or
whether the demands Of wool manufac.
turers as applied TO wool shall outweigh
those Of the wool growers themselves