Iron County register., 1904-06-09
MOST OUTRAGEOUS BURDEN
Tariff Cursed Wool Industry Is Fine
Sample of Republican Love
of Big Trusts.

VI dig IL uoIS'
OF the many foolish, injurious and |
even outrageous tariff taxes levied by
the Dingley bill, none, perhaps, does a
greater amount of harm to all, and a
smaller amount OF good to few, than
do those levied on wool and woolens.
This tax, averaging nearly 100 per
cent. on both raw wool and on woolen
goods, increases the cost Of wooden
clothes by nearly 100 per cent, reduces
the amount of wool consumed by about
half; compels the general use of cotton,
shoddy and other cheap substitutes and
adulterants, instead of wool; compels
working men with ordinary incomes to
wear inferior and improper clothing in
winter, and is responsible for much OF
the pneumonia and other diseases that
carry off such a large percentage OF our
northern population every year.
This tax on wool and woolens is, be-
sides, a heavy burden upon the woolen
manufacturing industry, which is now
Ianguishing, and is comparatively stag
nant and Improbable. Neither has it,
apparently, benefited the wool growing
industry, for fewer pounds of wool are
produced now than either 10 or 20 years
ago, while the number of sheep is about
the same now as then.
The only real prosperity enjoyed by
the wooden industry for more than 80
years was during the three years of free
wool under the Wilson bill. During
this period our woolen mills manufac-
| tured more yards OF woolens than ever
before or since, and the per capita con-
sumption of wool increased greatly, and
was then about 60 per cent. greater
than it has since been.
The duties of wool vary from to Il
cents per pound on raw wool, to
SO to Sc cents on secured wool. Duties
on woolen goods vary greatly. Gen
orally speaking, they are three or -four
times as much per pound as upon an
equal number of pounds of raw wool
and, in addition, from 80 to So per cent
ad valorem. The duties on raw cloth
.ng wool may be considered as IL cent!
per pound, on woolen clothes, at A.
cents per pound, and 50 per cent, ant
on clothing A cents per pound and 81
per cent. The duty collected on i'm
ported wool last year was 35 per cent. Of
the value of the wool, and that collect
ed on woolen goods was equal to 81 pei
cent. of their value.
AS these, like all other specific Of
oartly specific duties, are higher OF
cheap than on expensive goods, it is evi
dent that they will average about 10
per cent, on ordinary woolen goods
AS about 10 per cent of the wool con
slimed in this country comes from
abroad, and, therefore, is nearly double
in value by the tariff duties, it is eviden
that the tariff must increase the valu
of most woolens sold here by nearly 10
per cent.
The total value at retail of all woole
goods and clothing sold in this countr
is probably about $600,000000 a yeal
It is safe to say that $3.50 100000 c
this amount is due to the tariff duties O
) wool and woolens. This is an averag
of about nine dollars per family for on
whole population.
The total value of all the sheep i
the country on January l. 1904, was et
timated at only S133,590 099 and tn
value of the wool clip for the year 1870
at $5S,775373, or only about one-thir
: the tariff cost of woolens.
But not more than half of the pric
of wool (probably not one-ffth) can b
credited to the duty on raw WOO
Therefore in order to grant protet
ton bonus of from S10,000,000 to $50
:, 100000 year to our wool growers, "
, tax all families an average of nine do
: lars per family in order that we ma
confer a tariff benefit which cannot po
sibly exceed two dollars, and whit
+ probably does not exceed Is cents pt
. family. But, as one-half Of this PR
lection bonus most certainly goes
: less than 100000 of the big ranchmen
;, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Ca
ifornia, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Ar
y, zona and New Mexico, who produt
,, more than one-half the wool grown
j.. this country, the average for all the otl
= er families cannot exceed one dolla
- and probably does not exceed 40 cen
per family.