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Show SHOULD NOT TINKER W1THWM TIFF Prominent Mock master of Wyoming Wyo-ming Says Reduction Would Mean Disaster. COMPETITION TOO KEEN FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES Standard of Animals and Fleeces in America Is Constantly Con-stantly Growing Higher. Special to Tho Tribune. OGDEN, Jan. o. Tho reason -why the present tariff on wool should not bo lowered low-ered was (li'3cu.ssccl today by ono of the most prominonl sheepmen in the west. P. S. Kinjr of tho sheep firm of P. S. Kine & Bros, of Laramie, Wyo., in'tlie lobby of a local hotel, had something to sa' nbout tho tariff. yir: Kine declared that if the tariff was reduced the United States would be wiped off "the economic" map by the wool producers of other countries. South American republics and tho South Afri. iMin ci.itACi e'lirl 1 v lCr Ksii.nI to come into this country with millions of pounds of wool and undersell the Amorican grower, who has to contend with hifrh cost of production. Mr. King's views are shared by wool producers pro-ducers generally-. Views of Growers. Mr. King spoke in substance as follows: fol-lows: The Increased cost of production of wool Is far Rreater In tho L'nlted States than In any other country, tho main rcu-son rcu-son being that most of the western sheepmen leusc their ranges. Also, another an-other heavy cost Is the tax put on us by the forest preserves. All of these Items of additional expense uro comparatively com-paratively now ones, some of them having: hav-ing: developed into monncinp proportions within tho last, ten years, while most of them have sprung up within the last live years. The west Is running stuff of hotter grade, and It. therefore, costs much more money to purchusc. Wages aro much higher than they were In the past, and the cost of feeding our men has practically prac-tically doubled. Tho freight rate on wool Is one-third higher. There has been so much more stock run on I ho range that the eost of wintering Is much higher, because of tho necessity for buying hoy and grain In large quantities quan-tities during the stormy periods. The average value of sheep under free trade would be $2 per head and down to only 75 cents on lambs. Tho present cost of running sheep on the range a year averages from $1.10 to 32 per head, which Is more than the total value of tho animal, including wool and meat, under free trnde. Tho present schedule certninly Is not too high on wool. In fact, those United Stntcs senators and congressmen best versed in tho Industry even demanded an increase on South African wools. Off Economic Map. South America. South Africa and Australia Aus-tralia would crowd western American sheepmen off tho economic map in case the wool schedule were lowered by congress con-gress In this session. Those countries import little or nothing from us In return, re-turn, and there is small reciprocal commerce com-merce on their side. The Argentine Republic, .our most dangerous dan-gerous competitor, buys most of Us stuff from Germany. The mutton market, especially feeding lambs Is a source of Immense wealth to the farmers of the western states. The consumer must consider this question ques-tion from a logical viuwpolnt In order to perceive Hint tho sheepmen have all of the reasoning on their side. For Instance, In-stance, getting down to cold, hard llg-urcs, llg-urcs, four pounds of scoured wool makes a suit of clothes, which means seven pounds of wool In the groa.se. or as the wool comes oft the rapge. Tho protection protec-tion on the raw material does not Increase In-crease the cost of a suit of clothos to any appreciable extent. For example, a flrst-class suit of all-wool goodB, requiring requir-ing soven pounds of wool In tho grease, averaging 22 cents per pound, costs $1.5-1, which Is tho total valuo of tho raw material, ma-terial, and all that the shoepman gets out of It. But whero the increased cost to tho consumer does come In Is by the higher wages paid by manufacturers who make tho suit, and from this I take It as conclusive thnt If any reduction wero made In tho woolen schedules, it ought to bo mode In the manufactured woolen goods, nnd not on the wool. If congress would put a prohibitive duty on shoddy, the sheepmen could stand the lowering of the tariff on wool, because the consumption would hold wool prices up to their proper vnlue. The competition that tho sheepman is most afraid of today la the substitution of shoddy, made from the rags of Europe and sold to American citizens as real wool. What Tariff Has Dono. The tariff has caused the sheep of America to tnke the promler place In the markets of the world. As an example. ex-ample. I might cite the fact that at tho time the Columbian exposition was held in Chicago the nambohlllet sheep was practically unknown outsldo of Germany. Ger-many. But under the beneficent Influence In-fluence of tho tariff In encouraging the uplifting of the Htandard, the Ramboulllot flocks of the United States today lead the world. So It Is that South America. South Africa, Australia and Mexico all come to the United States to get their ewes and rams for their (locks. As with tho Ramboulllet. so ha the tarirt developed the high American standard stand-ard fn t 1 1 other breeds. In : v. -stern state Ib there n proml-r- .-. iicss man, hardly, especially a bi.T-.li. .-. who Is not heavily Interested In the production of wool nnd the growing of sheep. A blow at the sheep business would strike at the very' heart of tho financial standing of the great west, and would lead to disastrous results, and retard re-tard the development of the be.Mt parts of the United States for perhaps hulf a century. |
