Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-07
TELL THEIR TARIFF WANTS TO THE
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE.
GROWERS DEMAND A HIGH DUTY
TWELVE CENTS ON UNwAsHED, "a
ON WASHED, Sc ON SECURED.
Ruin of the Wool Business Under the
Wilson Tariff DweIt Upon-
Lower Prices of Very
Slight Benefit to-
Consumers.

Washington, Jan. 6.-The wool schedule
furnished the text for the speakers before
the ways and means committee to-day.
Judge William Lawrence, of Ohio, the pres
ident of the National Wool Growers As
sociation, and Theo Justice, Philadelphia
wool dealer, consumed most of the time.
The recommendations of the growers We're
for n rate of IL cents on unwashed wools,
"a cents on washed and Sc cents on secured,
the Australian unwashed TO be classified
as washed and all rates to be advanced
one-half cent a year for six years.
Mr.. Justice presented a great array of
statistics to show the ruin of the wool busi-
ness by the Wilson law. He combatted the
rates demanded by the growers as too
high and stated that the decrease in the
prices of goods to consumers under the
Wilson law was equivalent to the reduction
on the tariff. The manufacturers of WOOL
ems will have their inning tomorrow.
Referring to the political aspects of the
matter, Judge Lawrence averred that the
election of Mr.. Mckinley had been accom-
plished by the votes of the wool growers
in half dozen doubtful states, who would
have voted for Bryan and free silver had
they not considered protection on wool
more important than free silver. If this
protection were not given, there would
be a free silver congress two years hence
and in four years a free silver president
and congress.
The Mckinley bill, as it came from its
author, had been moderately protective on
wool, but the addition of the skirting
clause and ad valorem rates made it dis
astrous. Then came the Wilson law. I'm
der this law, the number of sheep in the
limit fntA hn1 sod
with a loss of s6OOOO,0O0. according to Of
fetal statistics. Unofficial and more ac-
curate figures proved the loss to woolgrow-
ers through the Wilson rates to have been
Sis, 100000. Mutton sheep, which should be
raised in this country, were being import
ed from Canada.
Personally, 1 would like a much higher
duty than II cents" said Mr.. Lawrence,
but the growers limit their demands to
that figure"
When the speaker asserted that Aus
tralian wool could he put on ship at Mel
bourne at cost of cents pound, Mr..
Wheeler of Alabama, commented: And
that is the wool on which you ask "a cents
duty?"
well, "a and is SO cents, and that wool
will bring from to Z cents more than ours
in Ohio, which would leave us only about
25 cents. If people will use luXuries they
SHOULD pay a luxurious duty"
would a pound of Australian wool be
brought into this country at 24 cents?"
asked Chairman Dingley.
There would. Anyway, it would trans
fer our trade from Australia, where we
have to pay gold, to South America, where
we would exchange agricultural imple-
ments and goods for their wool.
The consumer was represented at the
afternoon session by Theodore Justice,
wool dealer of Philadelphia. He stated
that while the trial of free wool under the
Wilson law had slightly benefited the con-
sumner by reduction in prices, the saving
had been greatly outweighed by the loss in
purchasing power. The gain by the lower
prices had averaged SO cents per capita,
while the loss amounted to more than 81.
The average loss to. the wool grower had
been S422S3 while the mill hands and
laborers of the United States had lost 49,
COO, 600 during the past year. The Mckinley
| law had given the cheapest priced clothing
| ever known up to its time. He gave figures
| showing the effects of the tariff of 1867,
under which fiocks had increased % per
| cent in four years; that of 1883, the worst
| ever known" the Mckinley law, under
| which fiocks increased 13 per cent, and the
| last period under the Wilson law. He
said: when 1t was known that Grover
Cleveland meant 10 continue his assaults
| on this industry with the assistance of
| both branches of congress, farmers began
| to dispose of their flocks." From 1893 to
| 1896, the number OF sheep had increased Is
per cent, and there were now fewer in the
United States than in 1866. Had the Nc
Kinley law been continued the United
| States would be able to produce its full
! consumption of 650,O00,000 pounds of wool.
| Referring to shoddy, he said that, while
| the annual importations of it under the
| Mckinley law had been 100000 pounds, be-
| tween August and September of the year
the Wilson law was enacted, there had
! been 100000 pounds imported and in the
| first full calendar year under that law
| 20, us, 900 pounds. The theory of the franz
| ers of the Wilson law had been that free
| wool would stop importations of shoddy-
| No nation had ever used as little shoddy as
| the United States under the Mckinley law.
| The explanation of the increased use of
| shoddy was that the increased Importation
| of cheap clothes under the Wilson law
| compelled the American manufacturer to
| make such cheap clothes to compete that
| he was obliged to use shoddy. Moreover,
there had been less money earned by all
| classes under the Wilson law to spend for
| clothes. The decrease in price to the pur
| chasers of woolen goods under the Wilson
| law had been about equal to the decrease
| in the tariff on the goods.
The King OF Pfllsis ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS S