Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-21
Free Trade MISREPRESENTATION.

ne Tree LIuutIS Vi NCN 4lChiIo Wv INV
approve of recent articles which have
appeared in the New MEXICAN relative
to the wool industry and the protection
needed by the wool growers of the terri
tory against the tlockmasters of Canada
at the present time, and against the
wool raised in Australia and South
America, provided the commissioners
now in session at Quebec determine that
Canadian woods should enter the markets
OF the United States free or at a less
duty than is now provided by the tariff
law in force, thus establishing Il prece-
dent for other countries to secure the
same rates for their woods. Perhaps the
Roswell Record has been the most out
spoken in its opposition to the position
taken by the New MEXICAN on the wool
question, and certainly it has shown it's
ignorance concerning wool and protec-
ton more than any other paper in the
territory.
The Record says that a treaty with
Canada providing for the free entry OF
wool from that country would not effect
| the wool growers of New Mexico for the
reason that practically all of the Ca
madam wool imported into this country
belonged to classes n and two of the
Dingley law. and New Mexico wool all
| comes under class three" and that
"wools of those classes are grown in a
few sections of the United States, nota-
bly, Ohio" In the first place the Ding
ley law in the classification of woods
only mentions certain grades of woods as
"have heretofore been imported into
the United States from certain coun-
tries, not a word in the act referring to
the domestic product. As to the man
ner in which New Mexico woods are rated
and graded with other woods the mar
kct quotations are the best guide. On
September l, the Boston prices for I'M
washed wool, grade for grade, were as
follows:
Ohio and Michigan, 17I to a1 cents
per pound; Minnesota, Kansas, Ne
braska and Iowa, 10 to 10 cents; Mon
tana, North Dakota and Utah, 1S to 20
cents: Colorado and New Mexico, ISL
to TN. 1t a be seen by these prices
that New Mexico woods do not rank
much below the classes of wool grown
sin a few sections of the United States,
notably Ohio 1t is acknowledged that
no better wool is raised than the Mon.
tana half-blood Merino, which takes
rank with any wool shipped from Cana
da, and on the date given that WOO
sold IN Boston for 1G and 10 cents pei
pound; New Mexico No. 2, or one-quar
ter blood, on the same day brought Isl,
and III cents. The difference in tn
price of the Montana wool and the New
Mexico product does not arise from an,
inferiority of the latter, but because i
carries more sand and dirt than thu
former and requires more work to pre-
pare it for use in manufacture. AM
still the Roswell Record says that Cana
: dian woods will not affect the price o
I New Mexico woods if admitted to tn
d markets of the United States under
e treaty Of reciprocity. Assertions an
figures in this case do not agree.
n Fully one half of the wool raised i
New Mexico is graded as ''braid wool.
OF that quality of wool Canada is a larg
producer, and still, according to tn
;, Record, New Mexico wool men woul
~ not suffer from a fall in prices If tina
quality of wool should be admitted int
this country under a less tariff than
n now imposed. The fact Of the matte
!. is that New Mexico and Canadian WOO
are very much alike in quality an
grade, and any legislation which r
!, duces the tariff on foreign woods wi
injure New Mexico wool growers just
i, the extent that competition in the hon
N market is increased.
,f The Record also says: ''In the meal
time it will not reduce the price
clothing to the consumer 1 mill" !
IN that the ignorance or willful misrepr
e. sentation of the average free trader
again shown. The amount of wo
I, which enters into even the finest suit
n. clothes affects the price very little.
:" is a question of wages paid to the worl
b. ing people who sconr the wool, card /