The state herald., 1897-03-26


The wool growers bill asks for q
duty of eight cents per pound on all
other unwashed woods. The argument
In support of this will be found in SEN
ate Document No. II, December, 1905,
pages II, 10, so, 9S. 173, and in Senate
Document No. II, December 2, 1896,
pages 11S, 12i, and still more fully in
my argument before the committee Of
ways and means. January @. 1897,
which will be printed in the volumes
of "Tarff Hearings" In brief, the ar
guments are:
/. These woods used In the manufac-
ture of clothing compete with Merino
and Down woods. This was not the
case until within recent years.
Q. AS these unwashed woods are i'm
ported, they will not shrink in scour.
ing thirty per cent, so that every
pound imported yields as much clean
wool as two pounds of unwashcd Me-
rlno
3. In order to encourage the raising
of Merino sheep. and the Down mutton
sheep, to give cheap meat food to our
cities and manufacturing districts, the
Merlno and Down woods must he pro-
tectcd from the ruinous competition OF
these cheap foreign woods.
4. In the fiscal year 1905, the i'm
ports of China wool We're 260S0,41
pounds, at an import free wool price.
with no motive of undervaluatlOn of
5.15 cents per pound, with each pound
yielding as much clean wool as two
pounds of Merino.-Senate Document
No. II, December, 1895, PIP. 30, 40.
3. In the fiscal year 1895 the total
imports of the woods of this class. in
Guiding China, We're 1ii,iSS.255
pounds, Mt an average import price of
90 cents per pound, while the imports
of Merino and Down woods were only
121 ,237612 pounds. Thus the vast
amount of imports of these woods
work more ruin to our wool industry
than all others.
@. The Mckinley bill of 1890, as
originally reported, proposed duty OF
eight cents per pound ON the higher
grades of those woods. Nothing less
than eight cents per pound on all will
he even moderate protection.
WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
There is necessity for increased
duties far beyond the rates in the Me
Kinley act of 1890, because the worlds
and will decline still more. The lower
the foreign price the greater the need
of higher duties.
Thus the eminent wool merchants.
Justice Bateman 4 Co, in their wool
circular of February /, 1897, say:
''If there was any guarantee that the
present prices Of foreign woods would
be maintained, n duty of nine cents per
pound would probably approach n fig
ure that would he satisfactory to all
but wool growers. But as the best class
of skiried Australian woods on at
least two occasions within the
past eleven years have been six
cents per pound below the pres
cnt price, and will in all prob
ability, soon be that low again after
the rcimposltion of tariff upon wool.
six cents of the nine cents iariff would
soon be offset by the foreign decline.
| The American grower would then
have on an average Of hut three cents
per pound more than the present prices
for his wool. Therefore. while n duty
of nine cents would be ample nj the
start. permanent duty OF nine cents
per pound would. In our opinion. be in
sufficient"
When the iarin comes. foreign wool
growers viii put down their price to
get into our markets.
They can afford to do so.
Hon. George II. Wallace, United
| States consul general to Melbourne un
der the administration OF President
| Harrison, shows that Australian Mcrl-
no ''skirtcd' woods can be put on ship
| boad at Melbourne for twelve cents
per pound. and that whole ilecces can
he placed on shipbonrd for nine cents
| per pound. His statement II quoted
In full In my argument before the com
mlitcc 0f ways and means. January q.
| 1897: Quarterly Bulletin Of the Nation
| nj Wool Growers Association, Boston,
! January. !. 1897. And this skirtcd
wool VIII shrink In securing only about
| fifty per cent.
This is the competition Ohio and slim
llar woods must secured
aud sklrtcd foreign woods laid down In
Boston nj less than thirty cents per
pound,
\ THREATENED DANGER.
Theodore Justice has shown that In
six States giving their electoral vote TO
| Mckinley, his popular majority was so
meagor that II was saved only by the
votes of free silver Republicans who
preferred wool ,arlm 10 free silver
II they do not secure the promised
most ample protection for wool" they
! viii bc driven over to free silver
An eminent Republican wool denlcr
Of Philadelphia. Theodore Justice, In a
letter November =, 1890 referring To
the presidential election of 1896 and
vote ~ wool growers. said:
"rhc wool growers were tempted 10y
the proposition that l3rynn's election
meant premium of fifty per cent. or
more upon gold. which would he
equivalent Ia that much inrln protec.
tlon. ns the duties ~ well ms the cost
Of importing wool would bc payable
/ In gold. hut they never forgot That
Bryan voted for the Wilson bill, which
destroyed one-thlrd Of this great In.
lustry aud closed one.hnlf Of the
| American wooden mills, and thus de-
stroyed. 10 this extent the only mar
ket the American wool grower ever
Ind for his wool. On the other hand
Mckinley favored not only protection
for wool. hut under the Mckinley tar.
IN net iof 1890 the factories were run.
ming night nnd day: aud enough wool
growers IN these States with free sill
yer lcnnlnRs voted for Mckinley In
their struggle for life. 10 elect him,
aud his election wnE due to the McIiin.
| ley protection which wool growers In
these close States california, Ken
tucly. oregon. Indiana, West Virginia
4 nnb Nnrtl IpnEotnt lpiipyp tu "