Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-01-06
PROTECTION FOR
SHEEP INDUSTRY
1t Receives Only One Half
It Should Be Given
Under Law
DUTY ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL
1t Ill Behooves Any Wool Grower
to Oppose High
Tariff

Portland, Ore. Jan, G.-State Sen
ator Fred H. Blume, of Wyoming, in
an address before the National Wool
Growers Association today, advoca-
ted change in the method of tax
alton on wool which, if put into
effect, would place the worsted manu-
facturers and carded wooden men on
a more equal footing and at the same
time be beneficial to wool growers.
This change and its accruing bene-
fits, Mr.. Blume believes. could be
brought about by assessing the tariff
on clean wool instead OF on wool in
the grease, and by placing class II
wool on the same footing as wool of
the first class Mr.. Blume charged
that the growers Of wool under the
present tariff arrangements, receive
only about half of the amount OF pro
lection which they are promised un-
der the law Mr.. Blume said in part:
The sheep industry is one Of the
greatest in the United States, and it
has therefore, been looked upon
fayorably in nearly all tariff lesisla-
ton. I have thought that to all
sheepmen it appeared as an clemen-
tary proposition. that the home pro
duct is protected to the extent that
the law 1evies a tariff upon imported
wool. But | find to my surprise
that some doubt the truth OF this,
and many seem to be under the i'm
preston that the tariff benefits them
nothing.
"The United States produces an
nually close to 140 million pounds Of
secured wool. The wool growers
receive on this protection OF ap-
proximately 20 cents per pound;
making a total protection annually
of close tops million dollars. Out
of this amount are paid the wages of
thousands of men: the grower of
hay and of alfalfa finds a market;
| thousands of acres, otherwise worth
less, are. by reason of it turned to
soma benefit; and indirectly the bene-
fit is distributed to large extent to
the community at large. 1t i'll be-
hooaeG a,ysv,N0l ~T0~oT. under these
circumstances, to turn away from the
principles of protection.
1t is apparent that a substantial
benefit acCrues to the American WOOL
| grower from the tariff, and it be-
hooves them, in view of the agitation
for revision of schedule X, which is
bound 10 come, to stand united and
use all possible efforts in order to
retain the protection to which they
are entitled.
| THE sheep business east of the
Mississippi River seems, even under
present protection, to be suffering
from decrepitude. The number OF
sheep from 1898 to 1908 decreased
from nineteen and one-half million
! to eleven million, decline of 43 per
| cent. The frightful losses Of last
| winter tell too plainly the hazardous
nature of the business. The number
of sheep in the United States, fit for
! shearing, was ~ million in 1898;
! 35 millions in 1897: AZ millions in
! 1903, and about 40 millions in 1908.
/ These figures tell more plainly than
any other facts that, while under the
present tariff, the sheep industry as
a whole. has about kept its own, it
has not been overburdened with any
unnecessary special benefits.
Protection to the industry is
absolutely essential. Put wool upon
! the free list and the growers of far
off Queensland can land their wool
cheaper in Boston than you can from
the West. The result would be, as
actually happened in the free wool
period. that you could not compete
with Australia.
so much then, for the necessity
of protection. | now take a step for
ward. | may tread on delicate
ground No man, in public life in the
I West so far as | know, has ventured
far into the field Of criticism OF
Schedule K. But the time has come
when plain speaking is necessary
! The agitation in the East. in refer
ence to that schedule, has been SO
vehement and persistent that 1t Is
absolutely essential for the wool
growers for their own protection, tc
analyze the law, take position
against all discrimination, and take
a stand which accords with reason
able Justice to all. We cannot, OF
course overlook the interests OF the
manufacturer. These people must
be protected, because they have tc
compete with 50 cents day labor IN
Germany. and IS cents a day labor
in England In this protection the
wool grower is vitality interested
THE chief difficulty in the wooler
schedule lies in the fact that 1t Ii
based upon an incongruity Nature
has put an insuperable obstacle IL
the way of a just operation of thu
present law. Some wool shrink'
, 80 per cent of each pound: leaving