Birmingham state herald., 1897-01-08
NO FREE WOOL
Wanted by the American Manufacturers
 -One Trial Was Enough.

Wanted by the American Manufacturers
 -One Trial Was Enough.
 Washington, Jan. 7.-The wool manu- lecturers were we'll represented today be- fore the ways and means committee.
 S. N. D. North, of Boston, secretary of the National association, presented the views of that body. He said the associa- tion had councilled moderation in fixing rates and expected only adequate pro- lection, such as experience had proven was necessary to enable them to con- tinue the industry. They desired chance to reopen their mills; but they neither asked nor desired such duties, being convinced that the best interests of both the wool growing and wool manu- featuring interest would be protected by the enactment of a. conservative and reasonable tariff, and that some promise of permanence would thus exist. Con- stant changes in the tariff were an evil only less marked than rate too low to permit competition with foreigners. The manufacturers had recently had experi- ence enough in this line to last life time. It was a demonstrated fact that the wool manufacturers suffered in the tariff revision of 1894 discrimination more marked and damaging to them than any other manufacturing industry. Whether this was done purposely or in- advertently was not of present moment; the fact that it was done was proved, first, by the direct effects Aon them, and second by the evidence or the importa- tions.
 The months immediately preceding the revision of 1894, and the two years subsequent included the most disastrous period in the history of American manu- facture. This statement was made with out any reservation or qualification whatever. During a great part of this period the bulk of the woolen and worst ed machinery of the country had been wholly or practically idle; much of the remainder had goods that were either marketed at a loss or were still in stock. The domestic market for woolen goods had since been in state of absolute demoralization. At the present moment there was more machinery in operation than during the summer; but the gen. eral condition of the manufacturer was as bad as could be. The manufacturers were not SO blind as to attribute the whole of this prolonged paralysis to the tariff revision of 1894; other causes had been at work and all industries had suf- fered. But there must have been a spec ial cause why the wool manufacturer had suffered far more than any other and why the prospect of a general business revival brought no promise of any im- provement to this particular industry. The special cause was revealed in the records of wooden imports, table of which he presentedI
 The manufacturers he said, did not re- sist the restoration of the wool duty, they affirmatively favored d reasonable duty on wool, because they believed in the policy of protection and were willing to make sacrifices in order that that policy might be applied to all products which needed it.
 Thomas Sampson, who operates a small mill in Waterville, Me, stated to the com mittee that if the. conditions of, the past few years continued all the wooden mills of the country must close. -
 MT. G.. c. Moses. of Maine. said tha. what all the manufacturers wanted was a tari6 of such a moderate nature thu [ it would naturally upset in few years. l FSe change from the K1nley to the