The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-03-26

the sheep frequently costs as much as "a
good farm would in the East, and the
character of the soil is such that the
wool becomes heavily laden with sand
and dirt, and when it is ready for the
market the shrinkagc is enormous and
the effect upon the wool is such
that it can never enter the
same class as the Eastern woods.
The sheepman of this country has
many obstacles to overcome. He lives
in continual dread Of drought. lack of
water, and short range; with no shelter
for his fiocks, he must face the winter
storms: he must endure the depredatiOns
Of wild animals and suffer the natural
losses due to running large numbers OF
sheep together on ranges whose only
boundaries are mountains and canons.
His taxes are 3 per cent; interest on
money per cent. per month. And yet
with all of these adverse circumstances,
the shccpmeE of this section have made
money and are building up the country.
Indeed the sheep industry is the back
bore Of this section. But. if the tariff on
wool Is done away with, as you advo-
cate, can see no other result than that
the sheep industry will receive a setback
and this whole section of country suffer
thereby. What price can a wool grower
expect for his wool when the tariff is re-
moved if he now receives only 10 cents II
pound! THE duty at present being more
than his net receipts, and the wool Of
which speak being fine mcrinO wool.
do not presume to know what the
effect Of the tariff is upon the eastern
woois; but it does seem certain to the
wool growers of Arizona that unless the
wool tariff is maintained the sheep IN
dustry OF this territory will be most seri
ously injured il not entirely ruined. If
this is the result to our sheep industry it
is very certain that the settlement and
development Of Arizona will be retarded
many years. II. w. S!ssON.
ANSWER.
|. This correspondent is doubtless SIN
cere in his belief that the free wool would
lower the price of his product. He is
not old enough to remember the earlier
day in this country when the duties on
wool were much lower than now and the
American wool growers more prosperous
Nor has he studied the effect Of the free
admission Of wool by foreign nations on
the domestic wool growers. Wool was
practically duty-frce in the United
States from 1851 to 1863 The business
Of raising sheep for their wool, which
had been prosperous up to the latter
date. began to decline, nor did it revive
until the opening up of tie free grazing
lands of the far west by railways trans
ferrcd the industry to new quarter of
the continent. Those shepherds who
live east of the Missouri. for whose
special benefit the wool legislation Of the
last thirty years has been adopted. have
been the chief sufferers by il.
Wool was one Of the great products of
England. In order 10 encourage the
grower duties as high as II cents II
pound were imposed on foreign wools
Soon after 1910. in spite Of the protests
of the English shccp-owncrs and their
assertions that they would be ruined,
wool was put on the free list. The re-
suit was that the value Of woulcn goods
made in England in 1870 was nearly
double what it was in lSi0 Enormous
quantities of foreign wool poured in, but
the price of the English product rose
instead of falling. The French woolen