The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-03-25
The Consumption Of Wool.

A member Of the National Associa.
tion Of Wool Manufacturers. SPEAKING
4 q the present demand for wool saws.
Undoubtedly the state Of the domes-
tic wool market is a reflection Of that
abroad and it is not necessary to look
Tor local causes to explain IT. Never
4 theless it is true that certain condi-
tions prevailing here are peculiar TO
the United States. and are seen in mar
ket conditions. Wool prices undoubt-
ediy went higher ia the fan Of 1888
than there was any warrant for. The
Doom in the market for Manufactured d
goods. as We know. was overdone, and
me excessive production Of the season
was in progress at a time when the
prophets were actually predicting 3
scarcity in the supply of the raw ma
teriai. In truth there never was any
approach to a scarcity, and at present.
owing to a curiailment Of production
which has followed the backward de-
mand for goods. there is an actual re-
dundancy Of supplies, SO that no imme-
date return to the wool prices Of 1898
can be looked for.
Indeed. it is a question whether the
statistics do not justify the statement
that there is a falling of In the wool
consumption Of the American people.
On the basis Of the domestic supply.
the foreign imports and the imported
goods-estimating three pounds OF
wool to each dollar IN value OF the
latter-we estimated the per capita
consumption Of wool in 1890 at g.O7
greasy pounds, as against $50 pounds
in 1880. Assuming the clip Of 1899 at
2l2,l9l $50 pounds, there was retained
for consumption in the United States
In 1900, after deducting all exports
from imports. a total Of 420, 0,197 .22y
pounds The value Of imported fabrics
for the year was $4,000 900, which adds
8l,C0O,000 pounds of wool a total OF
5Ol, 100000, which. with a total popu-
lation Of 1926 ,22O, shows a per capita
consumption Of 6.7-an apparent loss
since 1880 Of 2.3 pounds per capita.
There has been a steady increase In
the population Of the eountry-appar-
emily about 21 per cent since 1890
and an enormous falling off in the
value Of imported woolens. Yet the
supplies Of wool required to meet the
demand for domestic goods are no
greater than they were IN 1880 This
is assuming also that the abnormal I
wool imports Of the free wool period !
have passed into consumption and are (
no longer factor in the supplies.
In the present general prosperity OF I
the country the people are buying |
goods with quite as much freedom as
was ever the case: it would seem to
follow, therefore, that the use Of cot
ton goods as a substitute for woolena
mas been increasing Of late years. the
advances which the cotton manufac-
turer has made in the direction OF imi-
lating various makes of woolens have
been very great In these ten years. SO
also has been the advance In the use
1f cotton in connection with wool, and
his use has been stimulated by the
lnwillingness Of the buying public to
pay prices for woolens which are COM
nensurate with the increased cost Of
wool since the restoration of the duty
On the latter Even with cotton at
en cents a pound, the difference be-
ween its cost and that OF wool at so
ients a secured pound is so great in
hese days as to encourage the use Of
more or less cotton in fabrics which
VIII not command prices which viii
lllow a fair return, provided the ma
erial used were all wool. A duty Of IL
ents a pound on wool advances its
ost so materially that it is now dis
inctly tending to reduce its consump-
ion In this country. Il has not been
ossible, Notwithstanding the general
dvance in prices, to obtain the value
or woolen goods which ruled prior to
he tariff revision Of 1894. Yet the
'ool and the labor are costing just
bout as much as before.