Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-21
TAFT SUBMITS
CONGRESS REPORT Of II
BOARD ON WOOL SCH
TEXT OF REPORT
OF TARIFF BOARD

Washington, D. c.. Dec. 20.-The
tariff boards report on schedule x,
sent to congress today by President
Taft, suggests general revision of the
duties on wool and woolens, and many
individual reductions in the rates.
The board makes no recommends
tions but points out what charges are
desired. In nearly all classes Of the
schedule the board experts report the
majority of the rates Of duty prohibi-
tory and condemn the system Of levy
ing them.
The report points the way to two
great changes In the present system OF
levying duties upon raw material and
finished cloth. It would assess duty
on scrubbed wool--not wool and grease
combined and suggests a graduated
scale OF ad valorem rates on cloth. The
report Is divided into three sections:
viz: Raw wool, yarn and cloth. They
are taken up In the order In which
they come in production and manu-
facture.
Present Duty Held Prohlbltjve,
on raw wool. tha hoard fnds tha
present system Of levying duty bad
and the duties higher than the diffeY-
ence in cost Of production In the United
States as compared with the cost
abroad. The method OF levying duty
Is condemned because 1t charges for
grease as well as for wool and oper.
ates to keep out OF this country the
heavy shrinking woolens. .9lg I.
On tons az which warn a mada ina
present rate ~ duty il fonnd 10 ha
prohibitory. It costs so per cent more
In the United States to convert tops
into yarn than II does anywhere else.
. On yarn from which cloth ts. woven,
the present rate or duty tsa found to be
prohi61tory because II keeps out al
cxcept the Daer grades NV w;
On cloth the rate Of duty Is pro-
nounced prohibitory on heavy weight,
cheap and medium grade cloths princi,
pally because OF specific compensatory
duty which fixes a certain charge per
pound before the ad valorem rate be-
gins. It costs 100 per cent more to
make cloth from yarn In the United
states tnan II does 10 england ana
france. Inc present system oI nxlh8
tne smail 40 Valorem rates OF duty On
dlHereht grades OF IaDrlc 1s condemned
as unlair.
The board holds that q fair solution
would be the adoption OF graduated
scale under which the ad valorem rates
proposed to be assessed on goods Of
low value should then increase pro-
gressively according to q slight in
crease Of value, up to whatever MAXI
mum rate should be fixed. n
How consunner n Affected III
,rha hoord. e.rr.s ,o,,d sae,, 4
.hom .,at tha a,,rnhth,tnr. d,t,a.n H.,
sat sn saat 49, 4 s,on,ao, aona,.,,,a -. ~ ~
rn,oh : :. vn,,,d ha q farrod Nv nc !, 90 GO
=, thoss u,ords. tor whiIa tba duties
m ~ 1e aamnlas - foreign cloth selected
by the board averaged 1874 per cent the
actual excess Of the domestic price
over the foreign price was found to be
67 per cent as the result OF domestic
competition.
AT the present time the industry In
general is on competitive basis" the
report says. M
profit. In suit Of Clothes Shown.
The cost OF suit Of clothes from
the hack Of a sheep to the back OF
man Is computed in the report and
the nrofits which accrue in the process
ara traced 10 their sources. For pur.
nnso ~ comnutat t,on the hoard takes a
anti of clothes retailing at s23 and
wholesaling at $3.50. This ia said to
ranrasant fair,v tho suit az clothes
worn hv the average American.
The farmer receives for the wool IN
erch su,t - % and his profit is sixty.
e;aht cents the manufacture Of cloth
racaives ] FOR his nrofit s478 and His
rroat d % cents. the wholesale cloth.
in1 daa,er receives for his product
e1e N and his nrnft Is s2'18. tho re.
80 o,a.hing dealer recaivas soa and
h,a tas. rrnet .,U g. 'es so N 3
EXTRACTS From nePorG