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Show GIVES IE OF lojjpos Secretary McCIure Makes a Statement Regarding Democratic Demo-cratic Tariff Measure. WOULD RUIN INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES No Reason to Believe That the Underwood Bill Will Pass the Senate. Special to Tho Tribune. WASHINGTON, June 11. The secretary secre-tary of the National "Woolgrowers association, asso-ciation, S. W. McCIure. who lias been In Washington for some time, makes the following statement relative to the possible effect upon tho sheep Industry by the passage of tho Democratic bill revising the wool schedule: . "Tho new wool tariff proposed by the Democratic ways and means commltteo in the house reduces tho duty on raw wool to an Insignificant figure, which will neither afford revenue to the government govern-ment nor protection to the woolgrower, nor lower prices to consumers of woolen goods. "Under the present law there is a duty of 11 cents per pound on grease wool Imported Im-ported Into this country. On the face of it this looks like a protective duty, but when wo examine into the facts the actual ac-tual protection given to our woolgrower by this tariff agaLnst foreign wool Is In seme cases less and In many cases just about 'half what the law specifies. American wools shrink when scoured an average of 61 per cent; or, in other words it takes 2.5G pounds of our grease wool to make one pound of scoured wool. Foreign For-eign wools, as now Imported, shrink In scouring Jusl about half what our wools shrink. Therefore, tho Importer who buys foreign wools nays 11 cents duty on the grease pound, but he gets from this pound about twice as much scoured wool as he get3 from a pound of our wool: therefore, our woolgrowers have an actual ac-tual protection against foreign wools of about 5 to G cents per pound, instead in-stead of 11 cents, as the law specifies. The woolgrower has been blamed with a dutv of 11 cents, when In reality ho receives re-ceives only half of It. This light shrink of foreign wools Is duo to their inferior quality and to the fact that the present law allows the heavier parts of tho fleece to be thrown out and permits washing of class 2 wools without Increasing tho duty. No Protection at All. "If the house passes Its bill placing the duty on fleece wool at -0 per cent this will givo the growers an actual protection against foreign wools of from 2 to 3 cents per pound, which In realty is no protection at all. Since tho Democrats Demo-crats assess the duty on the value of the Imported wools, it necessarily follows fol-lows that only the lower grade of wools will bo Imported, for the duty on them will be less than on the higher quality of wools. In other words, this tariff encouracos the Importation of poor wools. "Wool can be grown In Australia, South America and Africa for considerably less than half of what it costs to produce It ln this country. Therefore, without adequate protection our growers will soon be driven out of the sheep business, and If this Democratic wool bill should pass the value of the American sheep will shrink 5150,000,000 In less than flvo years. "We havo in the United States, according accord-ing to government fisures, over 57,000,000 sheep that last year produced 330,000,000 pounds of wool. Under the present tariff law the sheep of the United States have increased 40J per cent in number and 2iS per cent in value In the past fourteen years. In addition to this Increase we slaughtered last year 15.000,000 mutton that had a powerful Influence In keeping down the price of other meat foods. "The tariff on wool has never had any Influence on the price, of clothing and every one understands this who has taken the pains to investigate it. Wool and Clothing. "An all-wool suit of clothing which you buy from your dealer for $40, or from the store for $25, If of the usual summer weights, contains, if It be all wool. Just 74 pounds of wool as It cornea from the sheep. For fine merino wool our grow-erfi grow-erfi now receive about 1(1 cents per pound, and figuring eight pounds to the suit It would mako the wool that went Into a $40 suit of clothes cost just $1.28. That Is all the woolgrower gets out of the suit, In spite of the tariff. You can figure this out for yourself. The average suit of clothes requires 3)1 yards of cloth, the cloth weighs from ten to sixteen ounces per yard. There are very few stills of clothes, regardless of what I hey may sell for, that the woolgrower gets as much as 52 for furnishing all the wool that goes Into them. At present prices It Is almost impossible to put $2 worth of wool Into a summer suit. The value of tho wool contained In tho suit Is so small that It Is never a factor In regulating tho price for which the suit must be sold. What the Tariff Has Done. "The tariff on wool has saved tho American people hundreds of millions of dollars, for It has built up In this nation a sheep Industry that furnishes our people peo-ple annually with 830,000,000 pounds of the best wool In the world. American wool la superior to any imported wool and clothing made from It will wear from 25 to fin per cent longer than cloth made from similar grades of foreign wool. The only reason for using foreign wool In our clothes Is that It may be purchased cheaper than domestic wool. Australia and South America recognise tho superiority su-periority of the American wool-producing sheep and In many Instances they have purchased from us sheep for the Improvement Improve-ment of their foreign flocks. T havo been told by manufacturers and wool experts men who have spent a lifetime In tho huslness that foreign wools as Imported did not compare with ours ln wearing quality. Our government recognizes this fact and In letting contracts for vooln clothing for both army and navy specifies that nothing but American wool shall be uted In their manufacture. "This tariff agitation has cost our wool growers $50,000,000 in the Inst year. Our wool is now selling at London prices and our growers are being driven to the wall. Our wools have gono down over 20 per cent In prion since this agitation started and If the price of wool controls the price of clothing, you should now be buying your clothing nt from 20 lo 25 per cent loss than a year ago. This tariff agitation agita-tion has done no one any good and under no circumstances can It benefit the consumer. con-sumer. They promised you two years ago that when the duty was removed from hides that you would buy leather and shoes cheaper. Tho result has been that the govnrnment has lost $2,000,000 per year In revenue and the consumer has paid more for all leather goods. The came will happen with wool when the dutv is reduced. "Tho ccriHu.s of 1000 showed 765,000 woolgrowors ln the United States and the next consus should show over 1,000,000 Individual In-dividual growers. You cannot bring financial fi-nancial distress to 1,000,000 American farmers without disturbing In a large degree de-gree the commercial progress of the country. Tho sheep of the United Stalos are valued at $233,000,000 and tho lands upon which they feed nre. valued at $300,-000.000 $300,-000.000 more. Thus the sheep inriuntrv represents an investment of $533,000,000. I Is this to bo destroyed purely In the Interests In-terests of political oxpodlency? "The. Democratic house has mado an unenviable record for hatred of the sheep Industry. They parsed the nu-iproclty treaty admitting sheep freo from Canada and giving the Canadian Mm right to drive his cheep Into this rotintry. sluai ;he.n ami Ium- me wool Ihto freu of duty. They passed the farmers freo list bill, removing all the duty from mutton and placing our mutton In competition with tho cheap meats produced by the half civilized nallvo of South America and other foreign countries. Now they seek to complete the destruction of the sht'i-p Industry by placing a duty on wool which will make itM production in this country Impossible. Ask Square Deal. "Tho woolgrowers of the nation only ask for a square deal. They have indorsed in-dorsed tho Idea of a tariff board to asccr- i tain the difference In cost of producing produc-ing wool In this and foreign countries. Tho representative of the tariff board has t gone to the home of the woolgrowers and j has been welcomed thero In an endeavor td obtain the true fnclsi as they relate ' to the sheep Industry. The tariff board 1 has s!nt export accountants to many oft tho HhiM-p ranches who havu cone ovur : the books of the sheepmen In u very j careful manner. This board wllj report Its findings to the American people next December and the woolgrowurs only ask ! that notion upon tho wool tariff shall be; delayed until thin report makes It pus-! Hlblu for enngn-88 to know just wluft pro- tection our sheepmen arc entitled to. "While t lit si wool bill may pass tho, house, there Is no re :hui lo ludlevo It whl paEn hc scniite, as It afford?, nelthci i luvenuu not prulct'llon " |