AMERICA AS A WOOL MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1125, 12 May 1911, Page 8

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 tho American Government and giving some attention to the cost of wool production, was interviewed by a Dominion- representative on the subject of Hie proposal to reduce the American tariff on wool. Mr. Baker said that the last election had given the Democratic party, which was rho low tariff' party, a majority in Congress, and had reduced tho 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 bc?n a feeling on the., part of a great many p'eoplo that the tariff on wool had been too high—the cost o? 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 tho 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 doußtful what was going to be done, but probably President Taft would not be inclinEd to tal;e any action which was not favoured by the Tariff Bbard. 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. dstermine what duty, if anv, might be needed to protect tho industries of- the -States. - That Tariff Board was at work on the wool schedules now, and was putting a gre.it 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 pojicy 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 wax necessary to give a legitimate protection.to American growers. There had been a reduced tariff on wool for a while ia .1986 _ . , ~_, 1 •"possibly,", continued Mr. ;Baktr, "the Lower 'House "will pass a'Bill for 'a reduced, tariff or for free wool, but tho Bill'will'hardly-be-likely to pass the Senate or get the President's signature until the Tariff Board has made a recommendation."