Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-04-07
WOOL SCHEDULE.


II
To the woolgrowers of the United States:
J The wool tariff schedule thrice in
dorsed by the National woolgrowers
Association. by the Farmers Ma
tional Congress, by the Ohio State
Grange. by state Woolgrowers Asso-
ciations, Ohio, Indiana, Utah, New
Mexico, Montana, Colorado. by local
associations and generally approved
by woolgrowers was rejected by the
lcommittee on ways and means In
In congress, and on the 18th of March
a tariff bill was reported with less
duties. 1t Is believed the committee,
for want of time, did not fully foresee
the effects Of the new bill. Some OBJ
jections to it are as follows:
l. 1t properly gives the promised
most ample protection" to wool
manufacturers. But no such pro-
lection to wool, at most only low
revenue duties by no means protec-
tive
ii. 1t properly gives the beneficial
specific duties to manufacturers, but
to most of the woods that will be i'm
ported, the fraudulent ad valorum
duties, 81 per cent on third class
valued 13 cents or less and 80 per cent
If of greater value. Justice Bateman
& Co. truly say In a Chicago paper
March Is:
Whenever there are two duties, ex-
perience has shown that somehow
lower duty" (See Tariff Hearings
l4l2.)
| This wool is generally Of such light
shrinkage In securing that one pound
will yield as much clean wool as two
pounds average American merino,
the use of which 1t largely supplants.
Hence so far as protection to such
wool Is concerned 32 per cent IL re-
duced to 16 which on wool value 13
cents ia only 2.S cents no better than
free wool. Third class woods were
Imported In 1895: IA ASS, ,255 pounds
equal In clean wool to 2SS, 1915, $50
average American merino while all
other imports were only 121, 237 ,612
pounds. Such low tariff will bring
ruin to our industry. 1t reduces and
fixes a low price on our merinO and
long woods.
III. The new bill offers a nominal
duty of III cents per pound on un-
washed merino, double on washed,
treble on secured, but 1t retains the
unjust "loophole" ''skirting clause
permitting skirted practically
''sOrted" wool imports without ad-
ditioanal duty. .-....
NJ 1. This transfers to foreign labor
to be paid in gold, the wages for
skirting practically sorting, and de-
prives more than 10000 American
sorters of employment and wages,
more than a million annually.
J 2. The "skirting" allows the I'M
port of the elightest and most valuable
part of the fleece and 80 reduces the
protective benefit of tariff.
An editorial In the New York
Weekly Tribune of Feb. II properly
says:
1.-The skirting clause (of the Nc
Kinley act of 1S90) was made the
means of defeating the plain object
of the law to a large extent"
Governor Rich of Michigan in q
speech at the Chicago Worlds Fair
said that the effect OF the ''skirting
clause" was:
ITO let in wool worth quite as
{ much as Ohio washed fleece at q
! duty of only IL cents per pound wher
? il it came in whole fieeces washed II
t would pay % cents per pound. Sc
} that on fine wool there is little If any
, more than one-half the protection
4 intended by the law"
) 1t has been proved by Mauger
t Avery, wool dealers in New York
: that by reason of the ''skirkins
= clause" and the light shrinkage O
. Australian merino in securing th'
duty Of ii cents per pound In the act
of 1880 on unwashed merino only
!, gave to American woolgrowers &
! protective benefit of 6cents per pound
on washed merino as prices stood in
: July, 1893; in competition with th'
!, unw ashed light shrinking skirtet
v Australian merino, only about
v cents on unwashed.
N The new bill i'm view Of this, ant
4. prospective lower worlds prices ant
. Imports of third class woods will no
i'm practice give to average unwashe,
American merino a protective benefi
of four cents per pound and on sucl
|. woods west of the Missouri river
, less than three cents. See tariff hear
ings In congress 1875, 1888, 1884.
3. Justice, Bateman & Co., in tn
Chicago paper, say ''Ths eOmmitte
has made the tariff bill to sui
the west, not the east" The answe
Is, 1t would benefit the east to tn
. ruin Of the west. ... ..
4. II passed 1t will drive the frt
silver protectionists who saved til
!, election of Mckinley to considt
whether the 50perc cent. gold premium
. protection which Theodore Justit
says free silver would give to WOO
growers, without reference to the Il
creased price of the wool, 10 not pr
-, ferable 10 16 or 81 per cent. ad vi
lorem-Tariff Hearings, 1852.
Il 49,. f.. a.f =