Music Trade Review
Issue: 1896 Vol. 22 N. 11 - Page 22
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Mr. L. Cavalli on the Wool Question.
AN ABLE RESUME UP-TO-DATE BV A RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY — FIGURES WHICH TELL OK THE
INJURY DONE THIS INDUSTRY KY THE PRESENT TARIFF LAW HOW IT HAS
AFFECTED THE SOUTH AND WEST THE OUTLOOK.
(Written specially for the Music TRADE KEVIEW.)
A
FEW lines on the wool question up to
date will no doubt be interesting to
your readers, particularly as this industry
is associated indirectly with the industry
of which your paper stands as an exponent.
As predicted at the time of the passage
of the low tariff Wilson Bill, our oldest,
best known and richest Commonwealth, the
"East," has been reduced to a condition of
actual suffering. In the districts where
woolen goods are made the situation is la-
mentable, and the outlook such as to cause
indignation and grief.
Nearly one-third—including the largest
and oldest—of the woolen mills have either
closed their doors or are working half or
three-quarter time. In addition, the work-
ing classes have to endure lower rates of
wages for not being able to compete with
the still lower priced foreign workers.
Their wages being the lowest known, with
the exception of China and Japan.
The goods which come from their looms
are being sold by importers in this country
to-day, and they seem to successfully under-
sell American manufactures.
PROMISED PROSPERITY.
The leaders of the political party advoca-
ting tariff reform promised as part of their
program that they would open foreign
markets, and thereby increase the demand
for our products outside of the States, which,
as a matter of course, would compel a great-
er demand for help, increase wages and in-
sure prosperity besides lower the prices of
the necessities of life.
Flourishing prosperity, indeed!
We have thus far not realized the bright
picture which was painted; instead we have
a reduction of values in all lines. The
prosperity outlined may come some
time (?). If only the manufacturers were
in a condition as the dog, to be trained to
eat coal—if the dog only had Hved long
enough, such might be—but poor doggy
died, meanwhile. The fittest will survive,
but this will not fit many!
i
!
FREE WOOL.
The free wool theory has not proved
beneficial. The price for wool is lower at
present than when we had protected wool
under the McKinley rates. The imports
show for the year 1895 an excess over the
previous year, '94, of nineteen million dol-
lars in rags and shoddies. Such are in-
tended to. be used in manufacturing to com-
pete with the foreign woolens, which are
largely composed—especially the English—
of similar mixtures. This insures business
for the shoddy makers here, and it is con-
sumed by mills endeavoring to remain in
the fiel'd. No wonder that more than one-
third of the manufacturers, as mentioned
above, are either closing up or making a
reductkn in hours of labor.
This proves our wages are not yet low
enough; furthermore, that we get poorer
goods to wear than before, and even at
these low rates the working man and wom-
an cannot afford to buy as much clothing as
they formerly did.
The failures of the clothing houses prove
this!
. ; :
IN THE SOUTH.
The Southern section, known as the Solid
South, of our beautiful country, was quite
enthusiastic over the acceptance of the Wil-
son Bill, hoping to see the promises of their
leaders realized. They expected heavy ex-
ports of their products, imports ad libitum,
and to buy home-made goods very cheap.
Has this been realized? It has not!
For the reason that raw materials have
never been as low in value, cotton, wheat
and live stock, etc., are sold at half the
value which was obtained during the Mc-
Kinley era, therefore disappointment all
round is rife in that section.
IN THE WEST.
The Western farmers suffer likewise
through Canadian competition, and the
Western dealers can neither sell nor collect
promptly. Through the withdrawal of the
hundred million dollars which were paid for
our latest issue of Government bonds, and
through the heavy return of our bonds held
by foreign countries, being scared by uncer-
tainties as to payment in coin (and silver-
ites), for which gold had to be remitted,our
circulating medium, the "nervus rerum,"
has become scarce. Time credits are get-
ting in discredit, and cash trade means
only "half trade." Banks had to curtail
their liberal treatment of tradesmen or
manufacturers. There is no prospect visi-
ble, until relieved by radical changes of the
false theories now ruling.
It would be well for the benefit of future
generations to have such thoroughly tested
to kill the free trade trials forever. It
might be done, if the poor dog could
only live long enough, or our country could
ever recover from such mercantile paralysis
—in this century!
WOOLEN GOODS.
We have furthermore in Jan. 1, '96, $135,-
000,000 value of imported woolens more
than in 1894!
In competition as above, we had twice
as much foreign wool than in 1891, or sixt3 T -
six millions the previous year. For both
the gold has to be sent to the foreign factors
—less the one million of value in goods we
actually exported!
RAW
MATERIAL.
Naturally wool advanced 30 per cent,
since the Wilson Bill from the rates of 1894,
and will rise further. The European fac-
tories needed the additional stock besides
their home trade to fill orders for America.
Think of this—for us—the land full of
factories—crippled or idle.
The over-importations in the raw mate-
rials can be relieved by exportation to better
markets, and will be done, as our mills can
not get orders enough to consume it.
Our wool dealers are the suffersrs. Their
speculations on the acceptance of the Ding-
ley or any revenue improvement in pros-
pect, have failed.
Cotton industries are not included, though
affected, on general reductions.
DOMESTIC WOOL-CLIP.
The immense slaughter of sheep goes on,
and the more we kill the more we must buy
elsewhere, when caused by improvement of
home consumption and production. It will
not be in this century that we will have a
wool-clip as in 1890-92, of 310,000,000
pounds, and consumed 450,000,000, thereof
140,000,000 pounds of foreign wool, but to-
day we have twice as much of foreign stock
here, and 133,000,000 more than in 1894.
Any child may ask; Can such stupid con-
ditions exist in an intelligent country?
Have the Gods struck us with blindness
for the prosperity we had under the Protect-
ive system ?
It looks thus. It is fortunate for the
piano and kindred trades to be protected by
climate and tariff, under which benefit the
supply houses are permitted to float along.
Prince & Son's Catalogue.,
RINCE & SON, piano manufacturers,
1881-83 Park avenue, have issued a
very neat catalogue containing illustrations
of their four most popular styles of uprights.
In this connection they say: We have made
during the past year a number of important
improvements in our instruments, and we
now offer pianos that we think will be found
to compare most favorably with those of
any of our competitors.
An illustration of their new and improved
open backs for pianos is also shown, which
are used in their three largest styles—XX,
XXX, and XXXX. Dealers should not fail
to look up this catalogue.
P
A. C. CLINE, music trade dealer, Souk
Rapids, Minn., has leased the building 531
St. Germania street, and will move there.
Speaking
of Tone
There is where some pianos are
weak but where the pianos bearing
the name of
Henry F. Miller
are particularly strong; one of the
reasons why the Henry F. Miller
piano has become so popular
among artists. . . .
Henry F. miner & sons Piano Co.
OFFICES
88 BOYLSTON STREET
BOSTON, r\ASS.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Mr. L. Cavalli on the Wool Question.
AN ABLE RESUME UP-TO-DATE BV A RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY — FIGURES WHICH TELL OK THE
INJURY DONE THIS INDUSTRY KY THE PRESENT TARIFF LAW HOW IT HAS
AFFECTED THE SOUTH AND WEST THE OUTLOOK.
(Written specially for the Music TRADE KEVIEW.)
A
FEW lines on the wool question up to
date will no doubt be interesting to
your readers, particularly as this industry
is associated indirectly with the industry
of which your paper stands as an exponent.
As predicted at the time of the passage
of the low tariff Wilson Bill, our oldest,
best known and richest Commonwealth, the
"East," has been reduced to a condition of
actual suffering. In the districts where
woolen goods are made the situation is la-
mentable, and the outlook such as to cause
indignation and grief.
Nearly one-third—including the largest
and oldest—of the woolen mills have either
closed their doors or are working half or
three-quarter time. In addition, the work-
ing classes have to endure lower rates of
wages for not being able to compete with
the still lower priced foreign workers.
Their wages being the lowest known, with
the exception of China and Japan.
The goods which come from their looms
are being sold by importers in this country
to-day, and they seem to successfully under-
sell American manufactures.
PROMISED PROSPERITY.
The leaders of the political party advoca-
ting tariff reform promised as part of their
program that they would open foreign
markets, and thereby increase the demand
for our products outside of the States, which,
as a matter of course, would compel a great-
er demand for help, increase wages and in-
sure prosperity besides lower the prices of
the necessities of life.
Flourishing prosperity, indeed!
We have thus far not realized the bright
picture which was painted; instead we have
a reduction of values in all lines. The
prosperity outlined may come some
time (?). If only the manufacturers were
in a condition as the dog, to be trained to
eat coal—if the dog only had Hved long
enough, such might be—but poor doggy
died, meanwhile. The fittest will survive,
but this will not fit many!
i
!
FREE WOOL.
The free wool theory has not proved
beneficial. The price for wool is lower at
present than when we had protected wool
under the McKinley rates. The imports
show for the year 1895 an excess over the
previous year, '94, of nineteen million dol-
lars in rags and shoddies. Such are in-
tended to. be used in manufacturing to com-
pete with the foreign woolens, which are
largely composed—especially the English—
of similar mixtures. This insures business
for the shoddy makers here, and it is con-
sumed by mills endeavoring to remain in
the fiel'd. No wonder that more than one-
third of the manufacturers, as mentioned
above, are either closing up or making a
reductkn in hours of labor.
This proves our wages are not yet low
enough; furthermore, that we get poorer
goods to wear than before, and even at
these low rates the working man and wom-
an cannot afford to buy as much clothing as
they formerly did.
The failures of the clothing houses prove
this!
. ; :
IN THE SOUTH.
The Southern section, known as the Solid
South, of our beautiful country, was quite
enthusiastic over the acceptance of the Wil-
son Bill, hoping to see the promises of their
leaders realized. They expected heavy ex-
ports of their products, imports ad libitum,
and to buy home-made goods very cheap.
Has this been realized? It has not!
For the reason that raw materials have
never been as low in value, cotton, wheat
and live stock, etc., are sold at half the
value which was obtained during the Mc-
Kinley era, therefore disappointment all
round is rife in that section.
IN THE WEST.
The Western farmers suffer likewise
through Canadian competition, and the
Western dealers can neither sell nor collect
promptly. Through the withdrawal of the
hundred million dollars which were paid for
our latest issue of Government bonds, and
through the heavy return of our bonds held
by foreign countries, being scared by uncer-
tainties as to payment in coin (and silver-
ites), for which gold had to be remitted,our
circulating medium, the "nervus rerum,"
has become scarce. Time credits are get-
ting in discredit, and cash trade means
only "half trade." Banks had to curtail
their liberal treatment of tradesmen or
manufacturers. There is no prospect visi-
ble, until relieved by radical changes of the
false theories now ruling.
It would be well for the benefit of future
generations to have such thoroughly tested
to kill the free trade trials forever. It
might be done, if the poor dog could
only live long enough, or our country could
ever recover from such mercantile paralysis
—in this century!
WOOLEN GOODS.
We have furthermore in Jan. 1, '96, $135,-
000,000 value of imported woolens more
than in 1894!
In competition as above, we had twice
as much foreign wool than in 1891, or sixt3 T -
six millions the previous year. For both
the gold has to be sent to the foreign factors
—less the one million of value in goods we
actually exported!
RAW
MATERIAL.
Naturally wool advanced 30 per cent,
since the Wilson Bill from the rates of 1894,
and will rise further. The European fac-
tories needed the additional stock besides
their home trade to fill orders for America.
Think of this—for us—the land full of
factories—crippled or idle.
The over-importations in the raw mate-
rials can be relieved by exportation to better
markets, and will be done, as our mills can
not get orders enough to consume it.
Our wool dealers are the suffersrs. Their
speculations on the acceptance of the Ding-
ley or any revenue improvement in pros-
pect, have failed.
Cotton industries are not included, though
affected, on general reductions.
DOMESTIC WOOL-CLIP.
The immense slaughter of sheep goes on,
and the more we kill the more we must buy
elsewhere, when caused by improvement of
home consumption and production. It will
not be in this century that we will have a
wool-clip as in 1890-92, of 310,000,000
pounds, and consumed 450,000,000, thereof
140,000,000 pounds of foreign wool, but to-
day we have twice as much of foreign stock
here, and 133,000,000 more than in 1894.
Any child may ask; Can such stupid con-
ditions exist in an intelligent country?
Have the Gods struck us with blindness
for the prosperity we had under the Protect-
ive system ?
It looks thus. It is fortunate for the
piano and kindred trades to be protected by
climate and tariff, under which benefit the
supply houses are permitted to float along.
Prince & Son's Catalogue.,
RINCE & SON, piano manufacturers,
1881-83 Park avenue, have issued a
very neat catalogue containing illustrations
of their four most popular styles of uprights.
In this connection they say: We have made
during the past year a number of important
improvements in our instruments, and we
now offer pianos that we think will be found
to compare most favorably with those of
any of our competitors.
An illustration of their new and improved
open backs for pianos is also shown, which
are used in their three largest styles—XX,
XXX, and XXXX. Dealers should not fail
to look up this catalogue.
P
A. C. CLINE, music trade dealer, Souk
Rapids, Minn., has leased the building 531
St. Germania street, and will move there.
Speaking
of Tone
There is where some pianos are
weak but where the pianos bearing
the name of
Henry F. Miller
are particularly strong; one of the
reasons why the Henry F. Miller
piano has become so popular
among artists. . . .
Henry F. miner & sons Piano Co.
OFFICES
88 BOYLSTON STREET
BOSTON, r\ASS.
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