AMERICAN WOOL DUTIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1662, 31 January 1913, Page 5

AMERICAN WOOL DUTIES.

A HEAVY BURDEN. . By Telegrapb-Prees Assoolatlon-QoDyright Washington, January 29.'' Opponents to the present wool tariff schedule have pointed out to the 'Ways and Means Committee that the country is .actually taxed up to Bs. 9d. per head of population yearly to maintain the-wool industry at its present state of prosr)er- ; itjr. The present combined ad valorem' and specific duties equal, according,'; to Democratic contentions, 128 per cent., a wholly unnecessary figure. The Democrats hope to reduce., the tariff approximately to a revenue percentage only,

The Democratic Bill to lower tho Unit-' ed States wool tariff was repeatedljrblooked by Mr. Taft. Dr. Woodrow. Wilson, who comes into office in MaToh/in one of his campaign speeches said: "If prosperity is not to be checked in this country we must bwaden our borders and make conquests of the markets of tho world. Ihat is, the' reason that America' is so deeply interested in the question of the merchant marine, 'and also why she is interested in breaking down, whenever it is possible without danger to break it down, that dam against which all the tides of our prosperity have banked up, that great dam that runs round all our coasts, and which we call the protective tariff. I' would prefer to call it the restrictive ™™> the tariff that holds us back, the tariff that hems us in. , the tariff that chokes us, the tariff that smothers us, because the great, unmatched energy of America is now waiting for a field greater than America itself ,in which to prove that m ,m lcnns wu teltc caro of themselves. Tho tariff intimately . concerns tho farmers of this country as well as other people. While the farmers were feeling the world. Congress. was feeding the -musts. I want to make it clear that the legitimate business enterprises of this country have absolutely nothing to fear, provided they•will stand on their own bottom, but that they hove evervthing to fear if nil they have under them' is the prop of a tax which even-body is-obliged I to pay in order that they may be able to conduct their business."