The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-01-05
WHY TARIFF
S II @ u | D
STAND

the most prominent delegates 10 tho
National Wool Growers convention
is sustained at Washington, and the
representatives and senators from
the western states viii bitterly op.
pose any efforts to lower the wool
schedules
The consensus of opinion among the
visiting wool growers on the vital
question OF the tariff in this regard
Is generally expressed by F. s. King,
OF F. S. King &; Bros. company, of
Laramie. Wyo., now resident OF Og.
den and one OF the greatest breeders
| OF RambouIlletS In the world
Mt King today outlined the broad
position taken In the tariff fight b. the
wool growers. as follows:
THE increased cost OF production
of wool is far greater i'll the United
states than In any other country, the
main reason being that most of the
western sheepmen lease their ranges.
Also. another heavy cost is the tax
put on US by the forest preserves All
OF these Items of additional expense
are comparatively new ones. some OF
them having developed into menaclng
proportions within the last 10 years.
While most Of them have sprung up
within the last five years
"The west Is running stun of bet
ter grade. and it, therefore, costs
much more money to purchase. Wages
are much higher than they were in
the past, and the cost OF feeding our
men has practically doubled The
| freight rate on wool is one-third
higher. There has been so much more
stock run on the range that the cost
of wfntering is much higher, because
OF the necessity for buying hay and
\ grain In large quantities during the
! stormy periods.
1.-The average value of sheep un-
\ der free trade would be 81 per head
and down TO only 10 cents on lambs.
! The present cost of running sheep on
the range a year averages from S11O
TO 81 per head, which Is more than
the total value Of the animal, includ-
| ing wool and meat, under free trade
The present schedule certainly Is
not too high on wool In fact, those
! United States senators and congress
men best yersed In the industry even
demanded an increase on South Afri-
can woods.
South America. South Africa and
Australia would crowd western Amer
lean sheepmen off the economic map
in case the wool schedule were lower
ed by congress In this session These
countries Import little or nothing
from us In return, and there Is small
reciprocal commerce on their side.
The Argentine Republic. our most
dangerous competitor, buys most OF
its stuff from Germany.
THE mutton market. especially
feeding lambs. Is a source of i'm
menSe wealth to the farmers of the
western states.
Tine consumer must consider this
question from logical viewpoint, in
order TO perceive that the sheepmen
have all OF the reasoning on their
side. For instance, getting down 10
cold. hard figures. four pounds OF
secured wool makes suit OF clothes,
which means seven pounds of wool In
the grease, or, rs the wool comes of
the range. The protection on the raw
material does not increase the cost of
suit oil clothes TO any appreciable
extent. For example, a flrst-class suit
of all-wool goods, requiring seven
pounds of wool in the grease, averag-
Ing % cents per pound, cost S1.54,
which is the total value of the raw
material. and all that the sheepman
gets ont of IL But where the increas-
ed cost To the consumer does come In
Is by the higher wages paid by manu-
facturcrS who make the suit, and
from this / take il as conclusive that
If any reduction were made in the
woolen schedules, 81 ought to be made
in the manufactured woolen goods,
and not on the wool.
IF Congress would put prohibitIve
duty Oh shoddy, the sheepmen could
stand the lowering OF the tarin on
wool. because the consumption would
hold wool prices up TO their proper
value. The competition that the
sheepman is most afraid OF today is
the substitution of sho0dy made from
The rags OF Europe and sold 10 Am
erican citizens as real wool.
The tariff has caused the sheep OF
America to take the premier place in
the markets of the world AS an eN-
ample, | might cite the fact that at
the time the Columbian exposition
was held in Chicago. the Rambouillet
sheep was practically unknown out
Side Of Germany, But under the be-
nef1cent influence of the tariff in en-.
couraging the uplifting of the stand
ard. the Rambouillet flocks of the
United States today lead the world
So IT is that South America, South
Africa. Australia and Mexico all come
to the United States to get their ewes
and rams for their flocks.
AS with the Rambouillet, so has
the tariff developed the high Ameri-
can standard in all other breeds
In no western state is there
prominent business man, hardly. es-
pecialiy banker, who is not heavily
interested in the production of wool
and the growing OF sheep A blow at
the sheep business would strike at
The very heart of the financial stand
ind OF the great west. and would lead
TO disastrous results and retard the
development Of the best parts OF the
United States for perhaps half cen