Show HONEST CONT confession k connecticut WOOLEN manufacturer TELLS SOME TRUTHS irn ien colen goods caused the I 1 tie general V of adulterants Adulte rants and i lie trade use of the tha american wool and cotton reporter is greavy greatly worried over a ru rumor MO that it is proposed to reduce tho the duties upon woolens to about i i per cent it prophesies tile tho total destruction of the woolen manufacturing industry if congress reduces the duties below 10 40 per cent and it in justification of its fears makes tho humiliating confession that tho the protection long enjoyed by our manufacturers has a enervated them as to render them incapable of honest self effort this plea ahn neaul as it is finds its confirmation ina in i confession mado made bya by a largo manufacturer of wool woolens ensin in connecticut to mr W B estell nn an agent odthe of the reform club who traveled through h the new england states slates searching tor for truth as to the effect upon the woolen manufacturing a establishments of the duties upon ra raw w wool and manufactured woolens in tho the course of a long conversation this manufacturer said to mr estell five or thirty years ago I 1 was makin malting gati au fine a grade of woolens sas as could be found anywhere in the world I 1 could import my iny foreign wool which is absolutely ne necessary Lessary to the tha manufacture of good cloth freo free of duty this enabled mo me to pay a better price for the tha domestic wool which is just as essential as tho the foreign article and yet place upon the tha market at a fair profit to myself a grade of goods bodi which defied pauper mado goods goods from abroad in those days I 1 was ras selling the products of my factory not only in america but in foreign countries as well I 1 would be doing so today were it not for tho the ansite in iii site duties on raw material tho the compensatory duties which have been levied for the protection of myk myself if and the workingmen I 1 employ have not borne the good fruit promised lut but have resulted in dc debasing basing the manufacturing or of woolen goods until I 1 venture to say there is not one manufacturer in acion cn who caters to tile ordinary trade who is not using moro or less adulterants adulte rants instead ins of the pure wool and must do is so if ito ho wishes to continue in business when we could import our raw wool tree free of duty we took delight in manufacturing fac turing the very best quality of cloth indeed we were compelled to do so because of the low duties on tho the foreign manufactured product we would make a certain pattern of good quality send samples of it to our customers with price list and always got good orders now all is ia changed chanced instead of sending samples tho the clothing manufacturers send us a sample of the kind and weight of cloth they want to sell at a certain price and us to give tho the usual guarantee to s show ow tm r customers that tho the cloth is warranted to be an all wool they know full fall well that we wa must adulterate with shoddy perhaps to the extent of M 30 or CO 60 per cent to riach reach ri ach tile the price named but they prefer to rely implicitly on our guarantee sometimes however they excuse themselves by saying that after all shoddy is wool and that therefore the goods are us lis represented tho the duty upon nw wool made tho compensatory duties on manufactured goolt cookus ns necessary in order to enable us to do business but no sooner were we ave protected by a high duty upon the goods which competed with ours than we began to cast about for means to increase our profits knoof one of tho the most effective means we found to be tho the introduction of shoddy into our fabrics not in place of the foreign wool but to take the place of the high priced pi iced american wools our largo large profits lid did not materialize because the very high duties upon woolens gave tho the business an un unhealthy heathy boom the result was that everywhere woolen mills sprang up and the competition instead of continuing in the healthy way in which the increased duties upon woolens found it developed into a fight to tb the death every known adulterant was ns used and others were sought until tho the tho the trade became thoroughly demoralized r it has uever never recovered and never will until the old conditions are restored end and tile tha manufacturing of arcol ens cas is once more placed upon a sound business bu biness basis give us free wool and take t the he duty or off manufactured woolens and I 1 venture the prediction that no factory which deserves to live will die instead 0 of f free wool and free woolens injuring tho the employers and employees and red reducing wages wo we will extend our markets pay just as high wages employ more hands and give tho the american consumers tho the best article in the world |