The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-01-08
FOR woOLTAnIFF.
manufacturers Demand the In, Ing OF
Protective Import Eutics.


Washington Jan. 7.-TheNwool manu-
!acturers were well represented before
the ways ana Means Committee to-day
.. N. ID. North, of Boston, secretary
or the Natinoal Association, presented
the views of that body He said the as
sociatton counselled moderation in fixing
rates and expected only adequa e protec-
tion, such as experience had proven was
necessary to enable them to continue and
extend the industry. They desired n
chance to reopen their mills, but they
neither asked nor desired excessive du-
ties, being convinced that the besr In
terests of both the wool-growing and
wool-manufacturng interests would be
protected by the enactment OF n conser-
VatiVe and reasonable tariff, and that
some promise of permanence would thus
eNiSt. The manufacturer had recently
had experience enough In this Inc to last
a lifetime. 1t was n demonstrated fact
that the wool manufacturers suffered
III the tariff revision of 1894 discrimi-
natlon more marked and damaging than
any otner manufacturing industry. Who
Their this WAS done purposey or mad
Vertentiy was not of present moment:
the TACT that ii was done was proved
tirst by the direct effects upon them and
second by the evidence OF importations
The months Immediately preceding the
revision of 1894 and the two years subse-
quent included the most disastrous PC
flou IN the history of American manu-
facture. During great part of this pc
riod the bulk of the woollcn and worstcd
machinery of the country had been Who'll
~ or practically IDLE: much of the re-
mainder had made goods that were eth
er marketed ut loss or were still in
stock.
Ihe domestic market for woollen goods
mas since been in n safe OF absolute de-
InoraliZat!on. At the present moment
there was more machinery I'm operation
than during the summer; but the gene
raj condit'o on of the manufacture was as
bad as bad could be. The manufactures
were not so blind as to attribute the
whoIe OF this prolonged paralysis to the
tariff revision of 1894. Other causes had
been al work. and all industries had suf-
lcrcd. Snt there must nave bean Il
SPECIAL cause why the wool manufacture
had suffered far mole than any other
ana why the prospec: of general bust
ness revival brought no promise of any
Improvement to this particular industry
The special cause was revealed in the
records OF woollen imports, table OF
which he presented.
The manufacturers he said. did not
resist the restoration of the wool duty.
They aflirma lively favored n rcasonablr
duty on wool because they believed In
the policy of protection and were will
ing TO make sacrifices in order that that
policy might be applied to all produc; s
which needed IL.
| MAS '2uuipSbn, VINO operates Il
small mill at Waterloo Me. stated 10
me committee that If the conditions Of
| The past few years continued all the
wooilen mills of the country must close
| Mr.. G. c. Moses. of Maine, said tina
what all the manufacturers warted was
a tariit OF such moderate nature that
| II would not be upse: III few years
| the change from the Mckinley to the
| wilson bill had cost his company $500.
| COO.
He said he had been a Democrat all
| his life. anu was one of the original
Tree wool" men. He had changed his
| mind regarding wool. however. having
become convinced that conditions here
ala not warrant the admission of that
| product free of duty. His statement
that he had cast his first Republican
vote for Mckinney caused considerable
| amusement. and Mr. Grosvenor. of Ohio.
remarked that he was getting in good
company and hoped he vruuld stay.
The committee adjourned until to-
| morrc'w. Wien S;hsdu,e B-enrthenware
| glassware marble, and s;one--wll be
considered.