Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-04-08
THE STRAW MATING OUTRAGE

and iute schedule u the Dingley tar
lfa bill and unpretentiyus little item
which has hitherto for some years
7 been a stranger to the dutiable list.
| II is as follows
Floor mattings. plain, fancy Or hg-
ured. manufactured from straw, round
or split. or other vegetable substance
not Otherwise provided for. including
what are known as Chinese, japanese
and India straw mattiDgs, valued at
not exceeding 10 cents per square
yard. . cents per square yard; valued
at exceeding 10 cents per square yard
8 cents per square yard and p per cent
ad valorem.
These are the mattings which are
known in every household and w1ich
are coming into larger and larger use.
They are not made in this country.
and never will be made here until in
yention has SO far improved and ex-
psditei the process Of manufacture
as 20 make il worth the attention Of
American labor. Even the Mckinley
act ~ 1880 put these mattings on the
free list. and there they have been
ever since: and prior % the Mckinley
act never more than small ad yalo-
rem duty was put upon them. What,
t1en. lras moved the Dirgley reyisers?
These straw mattings have come TO
be preferred by very many house
keeper to ingram carpetings. They
make a cleaner aud far less trouble
Ime floor covering. A good. closely
knit straw mating can be left on the
floor often until it is worn out, with
out serious need Of removal at house
cleaning time. 1t does not catch and
absorb The dirt as does a carpet, and
can be swept without raising clouds
OF dust. which the friction offered by
the wool carpet makes next TO impos-
sible. Consequently, on floors which
need full covering, straw mating
on which rugs can be spread about
offers a most satisfactory furnishing
In many respects, aud particularly for
people who live in rented houses and
are obliged TO move sometimes. Car
nets fitted TO one set Of rooms can be
transferred to another only with ex-
pense and frequently total loss, while
the rugs are good for any house and
the cheaper mating, on moving, can
be replaced with new at small cost
comparatively
Hence IL is that floor mattlngs, OF
this kind. have come into very large
use, aud the trade records prove that
the demand for them is rapidly grow
ing. Now the Dingley bill undertakes
to make these mattings so expensive
to the people as to discourage their use
Probably the bulk of the mattings sold
in our markets today cost at whole
sale at the port OF shipment 10 cents
or less per yard. \ duty OF 3 cents
per yard would consequently amount
to nearly or quite 100 per cent, and
more than that on the cheapest
grades. On mattings costing II Is,
the duty of cents and p per cent
amounts to over 81 per cent; on l2-
cent mattings, 70 over 80 per cents
In short, IL is proposed practically TO
double the cost OF straw mattings to
the people.
And what for, IL there is no straw
mating industry in this country TO
b0 developed? The reason Is Plaid
The ingram carpet manufacturers de-
demand the change Ia their interests.
They want people to be compelled to
buy their goods instead. The market
for ingram carpets has been reduced
somewhat by the preference for mat
tings. This must be stopped, and so
Mr.. Dingley proposes TO stop 1t by
doubling the price OF straw mattings'
| Meantime, also, the prices OF ingram
carpets are TO be advanced must be-
because of the demands of the wool
growers for high duty on carpet
woods not ppduced in this country
and II people who prefer straw mat
tings are taken 10y the throat and
compelled TO prefer ingram carpets,
1.-The inurain manufacturers can the