The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-12
WOOL GROWERS SPLIT.
CANNOT AGREE ON TARIFF
RATES TO BE CHARGED. -
Manufacturers Proposition Rejected
and All Bets Are Off-Sheep Men
Wanted the Earth and the Fuiness
Thereof.

Washington, Feb. 1.-THE National
Wool Growers association and the
National Association of Wool Manu-
features have split on the wool Sched-
ule that each favorS. The conference
has been in session here almost con-
tinuously during the past two days
behind closed doors. An effort was
made to reach an agreement as 10
rates of duty on wool, which might be
recommended to the house ways and
means committee. Mr.. 5. d. n. North,
secretary of the National Association
of Wool Manufacturers, speaking OF
the disagreement, said:
The conference was entirely friend
ly at every stage, but it ended in COM
plete disagreement, due to irreconcil-
liable differences Of opinion as to what
a reasonable rate of duty on wool was.
under present conditions. and with a
view to a permanent tariff law. The
manufacturers committee, at the
request of the wool growers, finally
submitted a schedule of rates which
they would join in recommending for
the sake of securing harmonious CO.
operation. This schedule was higher
than the judgment of the manufactur-
ers approved as either proper or polite,
but it was rendered as evidence of
their kindly feeling toward the wool
concede to the latter even higher rates
of duty upon the raw material than
they ask or expect upon their own
manufactured products. Their pro-
posed duty of s cents a pound on woods
OF class 1, under 16 cents a pound in
value, and 10 cents pound over that
value with double and triple duties on
washed and secured woods; and II
cents pound on class 2 woods with the
same dividing line of value and upon
carpet woods, the Mckinley law rates,
namely, 80 per cent under Is cents in
value and 30 per cent over that value
and without a sorting clause. This
proposition would have given the wool
growers a higher protection upon me-
rino woods so far as the ad valorem
equality is concerned, than they have
ever had under any tariff law.
The wool growers. after protracted
session, passed a resolution rejecting
this proposition in all its parts, and
stating that they find it impossible
to agree to the schedule proposed. in
justice to the absolute necessities of
the wool growers"
Before separating. the wool growers
were asked to name the very lowest
rates of duty they were willing to &C
cept in return for the support of the
manufacturers, and they authorized
Judge Lawrence to submit the follow
ing schedule as their ultimatum:
Twelve cents a pound on class 1 and
class , woods; double duty on washed,
and triple duty on secured; 8 cents a
pound on all carpet woods, and double
and triple duties on washed and
secured, and cents a pound addition
al duty on all skirted wools
This is the original Lawrence sched-
ule. with some notifications, and its
disastrous effect upon the wool man.
ufacture and carpet manufacture are
obvious to all manufacturers. There
were members of the wool growers
committee who recognized the impos-
sibility of acquiescence in such sched-
ule rates. but the appointment of a
of conference had been
placed in the hands of Judge Law
renee and he so constituted the com
mittee against materially deviating
from the tariff programme which he
Notwithstanding that the
manufacturers have evidence which
leads to the belief that a majority of
the wool growers of the country. and
particularly of the far west. believe
that their best interests will be pro-
NOTED by much more moderate du-
ties.