Wool

From the circular of Justice Bateman & Co., Philadelphia wool commission merchants, of June 15, we glean the following interesting facts : The last oíd Michigan and similar fine wools passed into consumera1 hands at 19c. for wasbed and at 13c. for unwashed. Not enough new wool has vet arrived to establiah prices. 'ihe vaiue of Michigan fine in the London inarket is about 13c. for waslied and 10c. for unwashed. The irregularity at the last London wool auctiona was believed to indícate that prices were on the brink óf. a decline which was ouly avevted by the rartailment of the sales. At the close. prices averaged from by2 to 1% below the pnces carrent in March, 1894, and about'lö% lovver than the pnces current in May of last year. Thus the iree wool markets of the world that were expected by some to be suoh a boon to the American wool grower, are now even below the prices of 1893. The enclosed extracta frotn the Philadelphia Press of June 5th givesome klea of the efforts still being made to save the American wool industry from destruction. If wool is put on the f ree list, the wool growers of the U. b. wiil receive $40,000,000 less than was received under the McKinley Law, previous to March, 1893. Wools, classifled as the lst and 2d class, are mainly those qualities grown in the United States, and if the effort to obtain a duty of 5c. per pound upon tliese classes is successfnl, over $18,000,000 above the free wool priee will thus be put into the hands of the wool growers for the dip of 1894, which is now ready for market. If the " free raw material " plank of the Chicago platform is not to apply to coal and iron ore, why should it be applied to wool ? The imports of raw wool for the four years ending June 30, '94, was nearlv 500,000,000 lbs., upon which $24,000,000 in duties were conectea. The duties collected upon imports of "manufactures of wool " for the sanie period are about $127,000,000. The woolen goods imported are almost exclusively luxuries, but the pending bill proposes to lower the duties on the latter about two-tbirds, thus reducing the revenue derived from these goods about $80 000,000, rnaking a total reduction oí over $100,000,000 in duties, heretofore collected in four years from wool and woolens, wbich the present bilí proposes to throw away at a time when the government needs revenue.