The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-10-21
HOW WOOL SCHEDULE
FAv0RS THE WEALTHY
Opportunity for Loot Confined
to Manufacturers of High
Grade Goods.
Great Wooden Trust Fattened On
Favoritism Through Our
Tariff Laws.

The opportunities for loot furnish
ed by the wool tariff do not extend
to all kinds of wooden manufacturers.
The gain from this particular robbery
is almost entirely monopolized by the
Worsted industry which is controlled
by the American Wooden Co., other
wise known as the Wooden Trust. The
carded wool industry is not only de-
MED all chances to share in the spoils
but is itself being robbed and ruined
by this protective" measure.
AS it comes from the sleeps back
and is received at the mill, wool con-
tains a widely varying amount Of
grease and dirt. Some lots may con-
sist of three-quarters grease and one
quarter clean wool; other lots, one
quarter grease and three-quarters
clean wool; and no two lots shrink
exactly alike. A duty of II cents a
pound amounts in fact to a. cents
per pound of clean wool, if there is
rs per cent of grease present; and
to only 14A cents per pound of clean
wool, if there is Is per cent of grease.
The result is that the II cent duty on
wool excludes the heavy shrinking
woods from the country.
The woods required by the carded
wooden industry are the short, heavy
shrinking grades. This explains one
reason why the specific duty on wool
is a serious burden on the card WOOL
en- industry and bears lightly on the
worsted trade for which the light
shrinking woods are chiefly adapted.
Deprived wholly of any supply Of
foreign wool the carded wooden in
dustry is forced to rely on the do
nestle clip, which provides less than
half the wool (clean weight) used in
the country. This domestic supply
is still further restricted by the fact
that worsted machinery has been
steadily developed so as to comb and
spin shorter woods for worsted goods.
This is second reason why the card
ed wooden industry is placed at a
disadvantage.
The products of the carded wooden
industry are necessary in order to
provide the people with warm cloth
ing at low price. They, are pre-
eminently the clothing of the poor
and of those in: moderate circum-
stances. The effect Of the present
law has been to make cotton, instead
of carded WOODEN cloth, the substitute
for the higher priced worsted, and
thus deprive the consumer of an ade-
quate supply of warm clothing at a
moderate price.
The natural results of these condi-
tons are now in evidence. The wor-
cto ind,
terial subject to low duties, and dis
posing of it's products in a market in
which it's competitors are handicapped
by heavy burdens or from which they
are wholly excluded, is enjoying a
phenomenal prosperity.
On the other hand the business of
the carded wooden mills has in a
great measure been ruined by the
conditions that are stimulating wor-
sted manufacturing. Many of them
have been driven out of business.
Prohibitory duties on heavy chrink-
ing wool and wool by-products force
the consumer to wear clothing made,
not of American wool, but of cotton
and poor shoddy. Both the wool
growers and the consumer of wool
goods are defrauded.
Carded woolens are used to make
the low-priced clothing, which are
bought by the poor.
Combing wool, so called, makes the
worsteds which go into the clothing
of the well-to-dO.
While all kinds of wool are appa-
rently taxed the same, as a matter
! of fact the tax is much higher, in
/; some cases four times higher, on the
! clothing wool used for the clothing
| of the poor than on combing wool
| used for the clothing of the Well-to-
do. This result is brought about by
! placing a duty of II cents pound on
unsecured wool. The manufacturer
| of worsted for clothing of the we'll
| TODD gets as much as 500 pounds OF
! unsecured wool, while the manufact.
urer of carded wooden cloth fol
| clothing the poor gets as low as zoe
! pounds of secured wool froma 1,00(
! pounds of unsecured wool. And ye
the tariff tax on the 1000 pounds OF
unsecured wool is the same, $110, il
each case.
| Thus the tariff on secured wool fol
clothing for the poor runs as high a:
:! SIS cents pound, while the tariff or
secured wool for the worsted clothe:
! which the well-to-do wear runs a:
low as IA cents pound. This i:
one of the tariff tricks that for ovel
forty years has deprived the Amer
lean people of low-priced clothing
| and built up the great worsted trust
Before Ironing Plaits.
! Many sheer dresses of this season
have inset panels Of plated goods