The Washington times., 1911-01-06
PROTECTION URGED
FOR WOOL INDUSTRY
New York Manufacturer Ad-
vocates Higher Duties In
Letter to Growers.
NAPOLEON'S FATE LAID
TO LACK OF CLOTHING
Increased Tariff for Ten Years
Would Mean Much for Ma
tion, He Says.


PORTLAND. Ore, Jan 6-The follow
ing letter from "A. d. Juillard, of New
York, prominent merchant and bank
er, who Is also heavily interested in
wool manufacture, was read today at
the convention of the National Associa-
ton of Wool Growers convention:
December 20, 1910
Mr.. George S. Walker, secretary, Ma
tional Wool Growers Association,
Portland, Orc:
My Dear Sir:
at the forty-seVenth annual convention
of the National Wool Growers Associa
ton, at Portland, Ore, January to I,
q 1911
AS a user of large quantities of wool
II affords me pleasure to send greetings
and godspeed to the National Wool
Growers. An important part-much the
most important l should say-of your
deliberations in annual convention as
sembled will naturally relate to the
preservation of adequate protection for
the yield of your fiocks.
Must Have Protection.
Experience has demonstrated the fact
that without protection the industry of
sheep and wool growing must languish
and ultimately disappear. In the alb
sence of adequate tariff duties that shall
take account of the lower labor cost in
foreign wool-produclng countries, you
cannot stay in the business 1t is to the
interest of the whole nation not only
that you should stay in the business.
but that the business Of supplying wool
and mutton for American consumption
should be made attractive to American
farmers.
Napoleon Bonaparte, chewing the
bitter cud of reflection upon the hor-
rors of the disastrous winter cam
paign in Russia, when his soldiers per-
ished by thousands for lack of warm
clothing, is said to have exclaimed:
spain has 25, zoo, 900 of merino sheep.
! wish that France had 00,O00,O0O!"
If France had had 100,0OO,OOO sheep,
the story of that terrible retreat from
Moscow need never have been written.
Not Enough Sheep Here.
The United States has about ST.
100000 sheep. l wish we had three
times $4,000 900 sheep. Then we should
be independent of foreign supply; then
we should have enough wool to clothe
our population of 100, ,OOO, 900; then we
should have three times the present
supply of mutton, which would go far
toward solving the troublesome prob
lem of high cost of food supplies.
If there is to be any interference
wool, 1 would rather the change should
be toward higher duties than towaro
lower duties. But l hope the tarin on
wool will not be disturbed would
like to see adequate protection for
wool positively assured for the next
ten years. Then we should see an
enormous increase in the growing of
sheep for wool and mutton. Then the
millions of acres of abandoned farms
in the Eastern States would come into
profitable use once more, this time as
grazing lands for millions of sheep.
Duties Affect Price Little.
wonder If the "reformers" and other
enemies of the wool tariff ever stop to
think how little the wool duties amount
TO on the average suit of clothes. 1t
requires twelve pounds of unwashed
wool to produce a suit of clothes. AS
suming that we use foreign wool eX-
clusively the wool tariff on one suit of
clothes would be $l.32; but even this |
small amount is not correctly stated, |
because the competition of the domestic |
product affects the price to the ulti-
mate consumer.
Recently l have seen a statement by |
one of the largest producers of Woolen |
textiles in this country showing that in
an oyercoat selling for SIS there were
two yards of cloth for which the manu- |
facuIrer received 81 cents yard, or |
s1.64 on which the profit was not more |
than or cents.
There is no community of interest, as |
generally understood, between the wool |
grower and the manufacturer, but there |
Is an interdependence and a mutually, |
where tariff protection is at stake.
Both the wool grower and the woolen
manufacturer must have protection. |
The two branches of the industry-wool |
growing and wool weaving-must stand |
shoulder to shoulder in resisting as |
saults upon protection.
Declined to Urge abduction.
Manufacturers will profit by an in
creased supply of domestic wool, and
sheep growing will profit by the GER
tainty of a steady and profitable mar
ket.
of woolens called upon me and re-
ouested my cooperation in securing
reduction of the duties on wool. 1 told
them, in effect, that not only would
not cooperate with them, put that I
would rather raise the duty on wool
than lower II.
1t is a well-known fact that the popu-
latjon of the world is increasing more
rapidly than the production of sheep.
Now, If we let the foreigner produce
our wool and mutton, he will eventually
control the market.
am in favor of protection which be-
gins where 'it ought to begin, with the
wool grower, and in due proportion ex-
tends to the manufacturer. Very truly
yours, A. D. JUILLIARD.
Conofor'c DocLoE D;cLoI