AMERICAN WOOL DUTIES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1185, 21 July 1911, Page 5

AMERICAN WOOL DUTIES.

' A NEW BILL. By Telegraph—Press ABsociation-OoDyrlrnk Washington, July 19. Senator Smoot, of Utah, is about to ■ introduce a new wool tariff revision measure, with the support^of'-thel'Adminis-tration. . •

The Bill is intended as a substitute for the Democratic Wool Bill. It fixes' tho same rate for tirst-class wool as the La Folletto measure. So long as it maintains a price of twenty-two and a half cents a pound, the rate is to bo nine cents a pouud for first-class wool in the grease, sis cents for second-class, and three cents for third-class wools. On washed wool the rate is doubled, and on scoured wool it is trebled. THE "TOPMOST MONSTROSITY." The "Philadelphia Record" gives an interesting account of what it regards as "tho topmost protective monstrosity" in the Payne-Aldnch Act. This is the woollen schedule, the duties on some classes of woollen goods rising to over 100 per cent. "Think of it!" says the "Kecord/' which proceeds to give an account of this amazing schedule: "The process of lift is methodically intricate. First a duty of 11 cents a pound is placed upon first-class unwashed wool. Then, as a compensation to tho manufacturer for the tax on the raw wool, threa times the amount is levied on tho finished product if its value per pound be below 10 cents. If the value bo 10 cents or over, the duty is quadrupled. Thcro is an additional duty of 50 per cent, ad valorem on goods of tho value of 70 cents,and oE 55 per cent on goods above that value. For example, on a yard of 80cent' goods tbcro is 44 cents in specific duty and 55 per cent, ad valorem—4l cents more, making 88 cents, equivalent to a duty of 110 per cent! There is a further fleecing of tho consumer in overoUowance of weight of raw material to tho yard of manufactured goods, making the compensating duty heavier than it should be." "Considering that ■ wool and woollens, nddsthe'"Rocord," "ai'o things of the first necessity, no man can study the provisions of this schedule and master _ its cumulating monstrosity without rising auger."