AMERICA AS A WOOL MARKET.

Waipa Post, Volume I, Issue 9, 16 May 1911, Page 4

AMERICA AS A WOOL MARKET.

AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW

Mr H. D. Baker, Vice-Consul-General of the United States of America, who is at present in Wellington, on special service making special reports for the American Government, and giv-

ing some attention to the cost of wool production, was interviewed by a “Dominion” representative on the subject of the proposal to reduce the American tariff on wool.

Mr Baker said that the last election had given the Democratic party, which was the low tariff party, a majority in Congress, and had reduced tfie majority of the Republicans in the Senate to eight. There, was a faction of the Republicans called the Progressives who were inclined to favour low tariff. There had been a feeling on the part of great many people that the tariff on wool had been too high —the cost of clothing was “too great. It was proposed by those who favoured a low tariff to take a revision schedule by schedule. In the past, those opposed to change had pooled their interests —the people in California, who grew lemons and wanted a high duty on lemons from Spain, joined with the woolgrowers and the manufacturers of woollen goods, and with the people in the steel business, and the sugar-growers of Louisiana.

Mr Baker said that it was very doubtful what was going to be done, but probably President Taft would not be inclined to take any action which was not favoured by the Tariff Board. The Tariff Board was a special creation of Congress a few years ago, at the instance of President Taft, and its duty was to. study the cost of production in the various parts of the world, thereby to determine what duty, if any, might be needed to protect the industries of the States. That Tariff Board was at work on the wool schedules now, and was putting a great deal of labour into it. They were required to make a report by next December, and what they recommended would probably become the policy of President Taft. The policy of the present Administration was to have only such protection as was really necessary to cover the differences in the cost of production, but not enough to make a monopoly. A good many people in the States considered that the duty on wool was higher than was necessary to give a legitimate protection to American growers. There had been a reduced tariff on wool for a while in 1886.

“ Possibly,” continued Mr Baker, “the Lower House will pass a Bill for a reduced tariff or for free wool, but the Bill will hardly be likely to pass the Senate or get the President’s signature until the Tariff Board has made a recommendation.”