Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-01-30
IS IN QUANOARY
Wool Growers and Manufacturers
Differ Radically.
He Cannot Please Both..Syrnpathizes
With the East but Fears the
Members From the
West.

Washington, Jan. 22.-Chairman Ding
fey and his associates OF the house ways
and means committee are struggling
with the first draft OF the new Dingley
tariff bill. The conclusion OF the hear
lngs has ena bled the members to lay cut
the skeleton schedules and to make
| some progress in framing tentative ta-
bles. The testimony heretofore taken,
together with many communications
heceived by the committee, Is now being
printed In convenient form for cons.d-
Grafton by those members to whom the
various schedules are assigned.
Chairman Dingley is devoting his
time almost exclusively to the wooden
schedule, and find that it Is a much
more difficult problem to reach a sat.s-
factory conclusion on all points than
has been the case in the drafting OF any
ether bill OF recent years. The attitude
Of the wooden manufacturers before the
committee was peculiar. They united
In stating that the industry was at a
low ebb, which, however, they attr.ou-
ted more to general trade depression
than to the effect OF the Wilson bill.
They urged that a tariff bill should be
as stable as possible, and deprecated
the disturbance which inevitable o
follow the enactment Of a new WOODEN
schedule. Mr.. s. N. II. North. secreta-
ny OF the National Association Of WOOL
EN- Manufacturers, used the utmQsr~aGG
plimacy In referring TO N
raw wool. but he made 1t
the committee that the manuIS~
would be well pleased IL wool cou.
main on the tree list. The sympathSsN'
lc utteranceS OF ceveral WOODEN manu-
facturers In referring TO the condition
OF the wool growers appear to have been
purely sentimental! and TO have had ma
reference to the real convictions OF the
manufacturers regarding tariff duties
In the interest of h industry which
uses wool for its raw material.
Wool will be taken from the free list
and made dutiable-that fact the COM
mittee has resolved. The rates asked
for by Judge Lawrence n his assoc
ates will not be granted. Further than
this Chairman Dingley has been unable
to go, up to the present time. His chef
embarrassment lies In the problem pre-
scented by the question Of compensate
ny duties. The majority Of republican
members favor a duty on raw wool
ranging from 4 to s cents a pound
about half what the wool growers de-
mand.
But while the manufacturers prefer
free wool, they want the highest limit
Of protection for the manufactured ar
ticle, and they assert that a compenss-
tory duty should be given OF at least
four and half times the tax on o in
order 20 allow for shrinkage in manu-
facture. This demand, II acceded to,
will mean a heavy advance all along the
line in the price Of woolen clothes.
and especially in the cheaper grades.
where the specific duties. to which the
committee Is pledged, would amount to
a considerable percentage OF the cost
to the consumer. Mr.. Dingley o not
want 10 be charged with taking money
out Of the pockets of the wool growers
even to put IL INTO the hands OF the
manufacturer. but he and his colleagues
are in "a quandry from which there Is no
Immediate prospect Of extricat.on.
What Mr.. Dingley would really like
to do is to give the manufacturers what
they demand and turn a deaf ear to the
wool grower. He Is afraid OF the west
ern brethren, however, and will not at
tempt to carry oil his own wishes.