Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-01-30
DIHGLEY IS IN A QUANDARY
Wool Growers and Manufacturers
Differ Radically.
He Cannot Please Both-.Sympathizes
With the East but Fears the
Members From the
West.

Washington, Jan. 22.-Chairman Ding
ley and his associates of the house ways
and means committee are struggling
with the first draft of the new Dinghy
tariff bill. The conclusion of the hear
,ngs has enabled the members to lay u
the skeleton schedules and TO make
some progress in framing tentative ia
bles. The testimony heretofore taken,
together with many communications
heceived by the committee, is now being
printed in convenient form for cons.d-
GRAFTON by those members to whom the
various schedules are assigned.
Chairman Dingley is devoting his
time almost exclusively to the WOODEN
schedule, and finds that it Is a much
more difficult problem TO reach a salts
factory conclusion on all points than
has beer the Ease in the drafting or any
ether bill OF recent years. The attitude
Of the wooden manufacturers before the
committee was peculiar. They united
In stating that the industry was at a
low ebb, which, however, they attr.ou-
ted more to general trade depression
than TO the effect OF the Wilson bill.
They urged that a tariff bill should be
as stable as possible, and deprecated
the disturbance which inevitable would
follow the enactment Of a new WOODEN
schedule. Mr.. s. y. D.. North, secreta-
ry OF the National Association or WOOL
en- Manufacturers used the utmost d.
plinlacy in referring to tine question or
raw wool, but he made II quite clear to
the committee that MS manufacturers
would be well pleased II wool Cou.t re-
main on the tree list. The sympathSt-
lc ]utterances of ceveral WOODEN manu-
facturers in referring to the condition
of the wool growers appear to have been
purely sentimental and to have had no
reference to the real convictions or the
manufacturers regarding tariff duties
in the interest OF the industry which
uses wool for its raw material.
Wool will be taken from the free Est
and made dutiable-that fact the com
mittee has resolved. The rates asked
for by Judge Lawrence and his 9
ates will not be granted. Further than
this Chairman Dingley has been unable
10 go. up to the present time. HIS cher
embarrassment lies in the problem pre-
scented by the question of compensate
ry duties. The majority of republican
members favor a duty on raw wool
ranging from 4 to 8 cents a pound
bout half what the wool growers de-
mand.
But while b manufacturers prefer
free wool, they want the highest limit
Of protection for the manufactured ar
ticle, and they assert that a compensa-
tory duty should be given of at least
four and half times the tax on wool in
order 10 allow for ~shrinkage in manu-
facture. This demand, IL acceded to,
will mean a heavy advance all along the
line in the price of woolen clothes.
and especially in the cheaper grades,
where the specific duties, to which the
committee Is pledged, would amount to
a considerable percentage OF the cost
to the Mr.. Dingley does not
want to be charged with taking money
out OF the pockets of the o growers
even to put ii into the hands OF the
manufactures, but he n his colleagues
are in a quandry from which there Is no
immediate prospect of extrication.
What Mr.. Dingley would really like
to do Is to give the manufacturers what
they demand and turn a deaf ear to the
wool grower He is afraid of the west
ern brethren, however, and will not at
tempt to carry out his own wishes.