Manchester Democrat., 1920-09-15
WOOL GROWERS !
POOL their FLEECE

MEN WHO RAISE WOOL UP n
ARMS OVER ACTION OF MAN
UFACTURERs.
CHICAGO IS WOOL CENTER NOW
Government Auctions Said TO Have
/ Bearing on Depression Of Mar.
ket Of Fleece.
4 The following article on the WOO
growing industry has been prepared
by Mr.. Henry Gillespie, Secretary
Treasurer of the Delaware County
Wool Growers Association. and which
will be read BY the readers Of The
Democrat with much interest:
/ Ninety-four wool growers OF Dela-
4 ware County have pooled their wool
I with the Iowa Fleece Wool Growers
Association and shipped 1t to the GEN.
tral warehouse at Chicago where it is
being graded and stored to await the
tneeds OF the woolen manufacturer.
I This way OF marketing direct to the
manufacturer and selling every mans
wool according to its quality and con-
EDITION eliminates the mfddIeman and
speculator and has netted shippers
with the association. and non-shippers
as we'll, q substantial advance over
what Would otherwise would have
been the prevailing price. AT pres
ent there is practically no market
for this years clip and without the
farmers wool pool wool growers
would be at the mercy OF dealers and
spectators.
i The wool growers OF the United
States centering their Organization at
Chicago now appear able to wrest
control Of the market from eastern
| dealers at Boston which has long
been the great wool market Of Ameri-
ca. It is. supposed that the eastern
dealers and spectators do not like
this shifting of market methods and
location. 1t means to them loss of
much easy money, il not change OF
/ occupation. The manufacturers are
! presumed to be as willing to get their
I supplies In Chicago as elsewhere but
idealers in refusing to buy wool ex-
| cept at a sacrifice to the grower, sand
| the mills in shutting down appear
hand in hand against the wool pro-
ddcers in depressing prices and re-
taining control OF the wool situation
in Boston. Natural causes may to
some extent be Responsible for tho
! present stagnation in the wool trade,
but natural causes are not responsi-
! BILE for $4,000 suits and 20 cent wool
! Buyers of woolens when protesting
the high cost have been told "see
what the farmer gets for the wool
The truth is that the farm price of
wool has almost nothing to do with
the finished product. The farmer gets
only about $500 for the wool which
made into suit of mems clothes sells
for $4,000 and up.
Last season / was offered by an
Iowa wooden mill SO cents a pound
for wool and asked SO so per lb. for
| yarn. Another Iowa mill made my
iwool into yarn at 80 cents per pound
for the finished yarn, including freight,
| and fair profits, and good wages to the
! weavers. It takes on small lots OF
| wool 251s pounds or more to make a
pound of finished yarn. That is to
say, pound OF yarn costs the manu-
facturer S1.50 for his raw material
| and SO cents for manufacturer, includ-
| ing profits. To be liberal grant that
actual cost including profit ETC., of a
pound of yarn is s225 to the mill.
The wholesale price last year was
$3.50 and upwards, giving to the man
ufacturer not less than 31.25 on every
pound. Of yarn sold as pure "velvet"
and an unjust profit OF so cents per
| pound on every pound of wool bought.
| That Is, manufacturers Of woolen yarn
| in Iowa last year could have paid the
| farmer dollar pound for wool and
still have made q fair profit upon
their yarns. Similar yarns are nok
listed by leading mail order house
at from $3.50 to $3.50 q pound at re-
tail. It Is not unreasonable to think
that like conditions rule In the manu-
facture OF blankets, and clothing
goods, and yet mills are idle, people
i.still need woolens and farmers can
not sell their wool. 1t looks as If
there was a colored gentleman in the
woodpile..
AS this is written the American
Woolen Company comes out in full
page ad in the Chicago papers the gist
| of which is a plea to every one to buy
their goods at once so that it can con-
tinue business and prosper for the
welfare of all concerned. This greet
company was forced because of lack
Of orders to close its flfty-seven mills
last July. Its ad is signed by the
president, Mr.. w. D. Wood, who an
nounces the opening of the mills on
September 18th. and says that his
company will be success only SO
| far as it is fair and just to capital and
the labor which it employs and to the
public which it serves" But has Mr..
Wood forgotten the man who supplies
his raw material? He makes no mem
ton of this important factor In the
wool business. Mr. Wood says that
they were forced to stop manufacture
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