The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-07
WOOL. sHoDDY AND COTTON.

WOOL, SHODD1 AND COIIONs
The elaborate census bulletin relating to
the manufacture Of wool in the United
States contains many facts. among others
those relating to the ingredients which en-
ter into goods the chief part of which is
wool. The revenue reformer. whose chief
defect is the substitution OF assertion for
fact, would have us believe that the wool
manufacturers of the United States are
about the only ones in the world who use
what is known as shoddy. Some OF the
facts in the bulletin show how far from the
truth such assertions are. The consump-
ton of wool in Great Britain during the
year 1900 was 5O6.OOOO 900 pounds and in the
United States 49, 40 pounds, which, to-
gether, is one-third of the amount Of woods
manufactured in the world OF this con-
sumption of one-third the United States
uses 40 and Great Britain SO per cent. The
manufacture of the United States is con-
sumed at home, while in 1900 Great Britain
exported over sd, OOO, 900 worth Of her prod
uct. Now, as to shoddy, which is the gen.
eral name for the fiber recovered from
wooden, worsted and mixed rags by power
full machines" For all purposes in the
manufacture of woods in this country H.
496,5OS pounds were used in 1900, while the
estimate Of the quantity of shoddy used by
British manufacturers of wool was 10000
900 pounds the same year. Great Britain
imported an average of 69.617,O0O pounds of
wooden rags during the years 1898, 1899 and
1900. The duty of % cents pound on wool
en- rags imposed by the Dingley tariff sends
them all to Great Britain. Under the Will
son part of the Wilson-Gorman tariff wool
| en- rags were on the free list. If, with As
per cent. of the consumption OF wool.
American manufacturers used 71,496,50S
pounds Of shoddy, Great Britain, with s.
per cent. of the consumption, should have
used 1884, los pounds if using no larger a
percentage of the article than was put into
goods in the United States; but, using
80, 1000 pounds. shoddy must be a much
larger ingredient in British than in Amer
lean goods.
1t may interest consumers to know the
woods. 1t cannot be used to any extent in
the making of worsted goods in contradis-
| tinction from what are known as woolens
1t is used principally, says the bulletin. sir
the production of low-grade satinets and
other heavy cotton warp goods, in the
backings for overcoatings, horse blankets
carriage robes and cloakings, to give
weight and substance to various kinds Of
wooden goods, and to some extent in the
production of merino yarns for the hosiery
manufacture" AS large part OF the cloth
ing classed as wool made of wool in thu
tariff schedules is made of worsteds, shodd.
cannot enter into it to any extent. What
ever shoddy wooden goods carry is made o
American rags, thanks to the Dingle!
tariff, and are not imported from all coun
tries. as is the much larger British supply.
The one fact which has made the calam
ityite happy is the apparent decline in TIN
consumption of wool during the last few
years. The quantity of wool consumed pc
capita in 1900 was 597 pounds. compare,
with $50 pounds in 1890. When the wool il
foreign goods imported is added the con
sumption was e.e3 pounds, which is large
per capita consumption than that Of an,
other people. That less wool is consumed i
not because our people are not so wei
clothed as formerly. The use of cotton II
piece goods has increased, and especially il
hosiery and knitted garments for under
wear. The increase of cotton yarns in tn
hosiery and knit goods factories was nearl
$50 per cent. in 1900 over 1890 while the tota
, / a.
last-named year.
The smaller cost of cotton or mixed wool
and cotton hosiery and underwear led man
people. years ago, to adopt them, and il i
safe to say that the large number of peopl
who are not exposed to winter weather GU
using them would now prefer them to thos
made of wool as a matter of comfort
The statistics show that the greater PAL
of the American people wear clothing man
ufactured at home. Some of the finer good
are imported. but the American manufaC
turer is now putting as good material upo
the market as his competitor. Even in tn
, department of ladies' dress goods, whic
twenty-five years ago were all importe,
the domestic manufacturer puts 1 per cen
of such fabrics upon the market at an aN
erage price per square yard of 29O7 cent
The so-called novelties, goods with fame
effects produced in the weave or colorin,
5 furnish most of the imports in this lin
2 The quantity OF such imports decrease
( from 1O7.915.2Se yards in 1890 to q. COS, g.
r yards in 1900.
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