The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-17
new WOOL RATES
AN AGREEMENT REGARDING CHAN
GES REACHED BY THE WEST
ERN SENATORS.
L00PH0LES FOR EVASION.
ALLEGED PURPOSE OF THE PRO-
POSED AMENDMENTS TO PRE-
VENT FRAUD.
70 INSIST ON THEIR INCLUSION.
Unless the Notifications Are Accept
ed the Bill VIII Have Trouble
in the Senate.

WASHINGTON, April 16.-Western
senators, after several conferences,
have reached an agreement to stand
together for important changes in the
wool schedule of the Dingley bill The
senators most prominently identified
with the movement are Messrs. Man
tie, Carter, Shoup, Warren and Bur-
rows They have not only agreed upon
a line Of amendments, but they have
decided to insist on their incl 1sion 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 loop
holes for evasion and fraud, which
wool men allege abound in thu Ding
ley bill and which We're also found
in the Mckinley law. An anne ldment
was agreed upon, providing that an
additional duty Of 4 cents per pound
shall be levied upon skirted woods, as
imported in 1890 and prior TO that time.
The principle change, however, to be
proposed is upon wool and camel's hair
Of the third class. The DingIey bill
proposes an ad valorem duty of SO and
so per cent, respectively, upon woods Of
this class valued under and over 13
cents per pound. 1t is proposed row
to strike out the Dingley bill clauses
relating to third class woods and to
insert instead the following:
On woods Of the third class and camel's hair
of the third class, the value whereof shall he
. cents or less per pound in the general
markets of the United States the duty shall
be cents per pound and on all woods and
hair of this class the value whereof shall ex-
ceed cents per pound in the general markets
OF the United States, there shall be an adj
ditional duty of One-half of one cent Der
pound for each increase Of one cent per pound
in the value thereof.
II is claimed for this latter amend
ment, which is the most important Of
all the amendments proposed, that it
VIII largely 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 manufacture of cloth
ing, which properly belonged in the
first class, were imported at third-cIass
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 imported woods, is regarded as very
important, as, IL TINS amendment Is
admitted, it will practically destroy the
opportunity for INTERPRETATIONS which
now exist through the practice Of fix
ing the prices of these imported woods
in foreign countries.
Other precautions will also be urged
to this end, such as defining the mean
ing Of classifications so as to prevent
restrictions such as have heretofore
been used. For instance, the words
Angora, AdrianOple, Bagard, etc, viii
be defined as indicating a class of wool
regardless Of the special district In
which grown.
Senator Mantle, who introduced the
memorial Of the National Wool Grow
ers' association in the senate, says that
the amendments do not nearly cover
the demands made by the association.
but, in his opinion, will be a vast i'm
provement upon the bill as it passed
the house. 1t will remain with the
Western senators, he says to say
whether or not the proposed amend
ments shall become a part of the new
tariff law or whether the demands of
the wool manufacturers, as applied 10
wool, shall outweigh those Of the wool
growers themselves.