The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-10
CALLISTER is LEARNING.

nor can it be said that ne is fully
awake vet. And he is slngularly In
error when ne attributes what he calls
the agitation for the revision of Schel.
ule Is. the wool tariff. to the newspapers
AMI magazines The truth is, that
President Taft himself. in declaring the
wool tariff iudcfensible, is the real au-
thor Of what Mr. Calister enormously
calls the agitation. President TAFT is
emphatically right, also. in saying that
the wool tariff is indcfensible, II is
as indcfensible from the standpoint of
the woolgrowers as il is from any other
standpoint. And the woolgrowcrs ought
themselves to he the chief agilators for
better schedule.
As 10 this, President Callister sP-
pears 10 have had his eyes open
little; it is 10 be hoped that later
on he will have them opened
in full. Tho Tribune has pointed out
from the first. tho incQuity 10 the wool
growers of the present wool tar,H.
Under its operation the only market for
American wool is with the American
WOODEN manufacturers. Those mauufac'
turcrs naturally want to Get what they
call their "'raw material - which Is
tho finished product Of the woolgrow-
crs the wool which they raise. at thc
lowest possible price, These manufac-
turcrs have, therefore. combined. and
the American wool market is absolute
ha,,, .,t .I1
take the wool AS they please, and pay
for it what hey please. The manufac-
turers' combine is absolute, is rigl !.
is supreme. As we pointed out at the
beginning Of tho season after the pas
sage OF the revised tariff OF 1909, the
WOODEN manufacturers imported up.
wards of 23000,O0o pounds OF foreign
woos. the most of it. clothing woods.
This was done imme latcly after the
manufacturers combine was estab-
lished. and it gave them a sufficient
store Of wool to gain control of the
American markets, and they have held
that control ever since.
As we have pointed out heretofore,
AMI as the Secretary of the California
Woolgrowcrs Association has made
plain in his report, the basis upon which
these imports arc now made is one that
is directly contrary to the interests OF
the American woolgrowors. The duty
is levied on the basis Of secured wool.
The basis of shrinkage is computed at
Sc % per cent; but as has been point
cd out in specific ,lctail by the Secre
tary of the California Woolgrowcrs
Association, the American wool manu-
facturcrs, bv careful selection. by elm
mating the portions of the wool that
are dirty AMI carry heavy grease and
dust, are able TO shave the standard
percentage by a large margin. So
that. in place Of the sbrnkage being
Go % per cent on the secured basis,
the percentage on importel wool docs
not average moro than thirty to forty
per cent The result is that whereas
the tariff was supposed TO afford a pro-
lection OF eleven cents a pound 10 the
American woolgrowcr, this protection
has been reduced to about six cents by
LUG nTottSstS dDoNp Sldbth, lHt
selections made which bring the reduc-
tion of the percentage of shrlnkage
Mr.. Callister is still insistent on the
secured wool basis for imports of wool;
but that is exactly where the woolcn
manufacturers now cheat the American
woolgrower. A different and better
basis than this will have TO he provided,
or else a special provision put IN that
will shut Off the discrimination prac-
tced by the American woolcn manufac
Of secured wool II they select special
portions Of the 6eeces, leaving the dirty
and greasy portion out, then a special
duty SHOULD be put upon those selected
heeees. for they reduce the percentage
which is standardized at 66 % per cent
considerably more than oncthirl on the
average.
Mr.. CaIlister says that the woolrais.
crs have been made the goat in this
wool tariff schedule. The Tribune has
been showing this 10 the Noolgrowcrs
Of Utah right along. but it seemed i'm.
possible 10 get them to understand
where they were being cheated. The
woolgrowcrs of other States have been
able TO see it: but heretofore political
| psrtsanship seems TO have dominate
the Utah woogrowcrs so that they were
| afraid 20 stand up for their own in
tcrcsis against the WOODEN manufactur.
ers' combine. The fact that they are
| now beginning to see the true relation
of Schedule X 10 their business, and
the hclplossucss of their position in
the face OF the wooden manufacturers
combine. under present conditions. 1t is
TO be hoped that they will investigate
still further. ana get tho true idea OF
what ails their market. The Tribune
has been pointing out to them right
along that the woolen manufacturers
are in command of the situation, and
that the most natural thing in the
world is for those manufacturers to
handle that market in way most 10
their own advantage. without regard