Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-31
Wool Tariff a Poser to Ways
and Means Committee.
FIGURING THE BENEFITS
More at Stake Than Cheaper Cloth
ing fer Consumer.
HOLDING THE HOME MARKET
Protection Argument That Aims to
Make This Country Independent
of the World.

The man IN the street who has a gem
er4I and vague idea that the clothes on
his back arc costing him TOO much, be-
cause of the protective tariff about
which he heard so much in the recent
campaign is having his interests looked
into by the WAYS and means committee
now engaged upon revision of the tariff
it IS not an easy problem, this question
o. whether the duty on WOODEN goods
shall stand or he reduced There is
something, more at stake than the prop
osition that the man in the street shall
have the privilege of buying abroad or
at home whichever method furnishes the
lowest price.
According to claims made before the
ways and means committee. Che existing
system of protection To wool growers and
wool manufacturers is a sort of mutual
benefit plan. by which farmers. mann
facturcrs and W"rkinCmrn profit. The
Tamifications OF tho plan extend to al
he'd Industries. it Is claimed such as
clothing manufacturers. tdiIors and mill
liners.
The consumer pays the freight but he
too. is helped in tn" long run. il is
claimed. by tn" competition of the man
LfdcturcrS. by the general prosperity to
the community IN tie existence of manu-
featuring and Iahor-cmployinG enterprises
and by another element which is said to
be this:
That in the stimulation Of the industry
in this country and the vast output of
WOODEN goods in the markets of the
world tn" prices are kept down every
where. The head of the Wool Manu-
facturcrs Association claimed before the
committee that if the American wool
manufacturing industry were seriously
injured and its output reduced by tariff
Changes the price of wooden goods would
rise all over the world The logical
suggestion of this claim is that if the
American industry were destroyed for
eisners would still keep up prices, and
the man in the street would be worse
off than before. since he would lose the
great business at home and not get his
clothes any cheaper
Vast Capital Invested.
Some idea of the extent of the wooden
manufacturing industry and its growth
under the protective tariff system was
given to the committee. The census fig
ures show that In five years, from 1900
to 1905, the capital invested in American
wool manufacturing had Increased from
S310,0O0OO0 to 1911 ZOO. 900; that the num-
Der of employees had increased from 163,-
60 to 1S5. 600; and that the value of the
product had Increased from S297 OOo. 900
to 1851, 900, COO Further than this it was
shown that from 1897 to 1907 there had
been q gain of nearly one-third in the
wages of the workingmen
This was all accomplished through
protection, it was claimed. Moreover, an
industry had been built up which en-
ables this country to be absolutely indie
pendent of the rest of the world for it's
supply of wool and wooden goods. The
American army and navy is now clothed
better than any other military service in
the world, and American mills can fit out
the largest army and navy that can be
raised.
While this great upbuildng of industry
and wages has been going on, the reve-
nue. has not been suffering, it is claimed
The duty paid values of importations of
wooden goods have increase in nine years
from $4,000, 600 10 $42.G0O,0OO.
Neither can the charge be brought
against this industry that it sells cheaper
abroad than at home since the exports
in 1J0i amounted to but a little more
than one-half of one per cent of the
total output of our mills and these were
in the form of readymade clothing for
the nearby markets of Canada and MeXl-
co. II is also claimed that there Is no
monopoly trust in the trade, since OF
the 200 wool manufacturing establish
nents 3S3 are operated by individuals, I'll
by firms and 567 by corporations.
Ask Protection for Growers.
81 he ways anu means
were treated to d refreshing experience
in the argument of the wool manufac-
turers: they did not clamor for free raw
material. They did not ask that the
sheep rasers be slaughtered for their
benefit. They held:
That American wool growers are en-
titled to protection against foreign wool
growers.
That it is essential that a great nation
al industry like that of the wooden indus
Try should be founded upon independence
o. foreign countries for the principal sup
ply of its cheap raw material, as the
American farmer supplied 80 per cent of
the wool used in home manufacture.
That the announcement of the sheep in
dustry makes not only for the security OF
the wool industry, b 1T results in cheaper
food and clothing for the people.
1t was claimed that the United States
stands first among nations in the amount
of wool consumed. that We are the most
comfortably clothed people in the world, ;
that the American home market Is by
far the greatest market In the world for
wearing apparel, practically all OF the
products OF American mills are absorbed
by the home market.
These are some OF the considerations
appealing to the tariff revsers they
listen To the grumbling of the man in
the street for an onslaught on the tariff
on wooden manufactures