Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-09
WOOL QUESTION
Given a Chance at the Tariff
Hearing, Thursday.
New EngIanders Ask Better Protec.
ton for Their Business.
G. c. Moses, Bath, Congratulated on Getting
Out Of Democratic Party.


ing. Thursday. S. ND. North Of Bos
ton, spoke for the National Association
Wool Manufacturers. He said at pres
ent there was more machinery in oper.
alton than during the summer, but
the general condition of manufactur,
was as bad as. could be. The manu-
facturers were not so blind as to at
tribute the whole of this prolonged
paralysis to the tariff revision of 1894
other causes had been at work and al
industries had suffered.
There must have been a specia
cause why the wool manufacturer hat
suffered far more than any other, ant
why the prospect of general bushes.
revival brought no promise of any i'm.
provement to this particular industry
The special cause was revealed in the
records of the wooden imports table
which he presented. The duty value
of imports of 1895 was about ne-thrC
of all the woolens made in American
mills in the year of manufacturing
activity such as 1890. They were equa
to about one-half of the domestic pro.
duction of 1895.
The American mills could supply all the
sumo. The enormous importations at low
valuations crowded upon Il sluggish mar.
ket We're what broke down the domes. tic
manufacturers. The. foreigners SO com
pletely overdid the business that they
had suffered from the reaction. Import
atoms had largely fallen off since about
February last, being. today, comparative
ly small. No-recOvery of the market Il
Il point where the manufacturer could
get back a new dollar for an old one
seemed possible under the existing tariff
conditions.
The ad valorem basis of tariff had al.
lowed the importation of the lowest and
meanest descriptions of goods made In
the world. The complaint of the domes-
tic manufacturers was that the higher
grade OF American goods had been COM
PEELED to compete for their own marke;
at prices fixed or governed by worthless
cloths.
Not only had the market values become
demoralized in the manner Indicated but
further obliterated by the systematic
consignment of goods at prices lower
than the cost of manufacturing abroad
and their sale in this country. duty paid
at less than the cost of manufactur.
here. The manufacturer did not COM
plain of the rates of duty accorded HIM
by the present tariff: he complained OF
sessed and of the manner in which they
We're collected.
He objected to the dividing lines in the
levying of an ad valorem duty, and par
tariff at 80 cents a pound, ingeniously
thrust into the law at what had proved
the danger point in the present market
conditions. to invite and tempt importers
to save 10 per cent. in these duties by
undervaluatiOn. which in many instances
need not exceed two or three cents Il
pound.
Thomas Sampson. who operates a mill
in Waterville. Me-, stated to the commit
tee that if the conditions of the past few
years lasted, all the wooden mills of The
country must close. He spoke of the USE
of shoddy or waste in the manufacture of
cheap cloths, and asked that no prohini-
tory duty be placed on these products.
There was not enough wool grown. he
said. to make cheap cloths. and the, use of
waste was unnecessary.
s. Mulhauser of Cleveland. Ohio, a
large maker of shOddy. said he used the
cuttings and waste material Of wool and
manufacturers with the shoddy they used
for backing. They had to use this pro
duct to compete with foreign cloth. The
better class of his output contained 1873
per cent. of wool. He used foreign rags
because they. were better sorted and
cleaned, but in prosperous times he con-
sumed principally the cuttings of tailor
which employed some 100 hands, was
closed. He would not object to a two-cent
rate OH rags. which according to the
present importations, would yield rev.
enue of $4,000 per annum.
VIM. Whitman of Boston. treasurer OF
the Arlington mills, presented, at the re-.
quest of Chairman Dingley, tables COW
ering the 'skirted woods" coming from
Australia. He said he had no rates Of
duty to suggest, as a manufacturer would
expect to be compensated for any duty
those rates had been fixed. he would DE
that might be placed on raw WOOL. After:
those rates had been fixed, ne would lie
glad to assist the committee in adjusting
rates on the manufactured product.
f.. Rinke of New York in speaking for.
the makers of WOODEN hats. called atten-.
ton to the injustice, under the present
law. of classifying wooden hats with
blankets or the lower grade of wools He
desired "a duty as nearly as possible to
conform to that given by the Mckinley
law.
w. H. Brown of Philadelphia renre.-
senting a number of WOODEN manufact-
urers of that city. asked that they lie
given the same consideration as given
manufacturers.
G. c. Moses of Maine, said that what
al manufacturers wanted was {, tariff
Of such moderate nature that 1t would
not be upset in a few years. The change
rom the Mckinley to the Wilson bill had
.ost his company 100000. He said that
was one of the original free WOOL men.
He had changed his mind regarding wool.
having become convinced that The con-
litions here did not warrant the aGmi:s-
sion of that product free of duty. His
statement that he had cast his first Re-
amusement. Mr.. Grosvenor of
ohio. remarked that he was getting in
rood company and hoped he would stay.
Robert Stuntz of New York, a mat and
'ug maker. appealed for protection for
lis comparatively new industry against
The committee adjourned until tomor-
'OW.