Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1891 — Free Wool for Mixing. [ARTICLE]

Free Wool for Mixing.

The tariff reformers have frequently asserted that one of the best reasons why foreign wools should be admitted free of duty was that these wools .were necessary for mixing with our native wools, in order to get the best results in manufacturing cloth. This assertion is made by wool manufacturers themselves. A recent number of a Boston trade paper confirms this statement in an incidental way. This paper says: “Important changes have been made in the manufacture of dress goods at tho Arlington mills. They have adopted the method of the Providence (R. I.) worsted mills in preparing their raw material. Instead of using foreign wool only, as in past years, they have begun the new season by using a combination of Australian, domestic fleece and Territory wools. Tho Fletcher mills at Providence have made a great success in making dress goods and worsteds under this plan, and the Arlington will no doubt do the same. As a consequence the latter mill has been a heavy buyer of fleece and .Territory wools since tho beginning of the year, and has been the .chief factor in reducing the stock of territories in this market. This combination of three kinds of wool gives a top finish that makes a good selling grade for the present demand.” The fact here quoted is printed by the Boston paper as a mere matter of trade news; the tariff on wool is not in the writer’s mind at all. This confirmation of the free-wool argument is therefore all the striking and convincing.