The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-06
TRACING THE EsTRAYS.
Ihe Work Which Falls Upon the
Secretary of the Stookgrowers'
Association.
Nearly 100000 Received From
the Estray Sales During
Last Year.
New the Record IL Kept From the Time
Of shipment to the Payment OF
the Money.

While tho cattle shipments from the Mon
tana ranges are over. the work OF Secretary
Prsuitt and his assistants, in tho office Of the
stockgrowers' association. Is by no means
completed. Shipments began July u and
continued until abouta month ago. During
that tirno there has come into Secretary
Prsuitt's hands from the sale of estrays,
nearly $500, 600. The greater part OF this
has been paid over to the riehtful parties,
but thcre still remains in the lands OF the
secretary quite a sum Of money from the
sale Of est rays. the owners of which are I'M
known. Tho clerks are now making out q
list Of these estrays, and at the same time
endeavorinp to find to whom the money
belongs. Where the brands are recorded,
the owner is always sure to cat any money
due him from the sale of an estray, but
where the recording has been neglected. the
secretary has to constitute himself y court
Of inquiry. and by asking stockmen and
others who are familiar with the various
brands, endsayor to learn to whom to send
the money. In order to guard against
mistakes the secretary is compelled to be
very careful in the payment of money re-
ceived from the sale of unknown estrays.
II every case was not carefully investigated
the result would be that often the rightful
owner would lose the proceeds from the
sale Of his stock. From the fact that it only
costs S. to record a brand. and thus the
owner is provided with a safeguard against
loss, it seems strange that so many cattle
~raisers in Montana should neglect this.
~ = = - r.~% o1,,rkha1nsS that thora n rn
hundreds OF IN ieco.ded brands in Mon
tana.
Considering the vast business done by the
Montana cattlemen this year, the ship
ments aggregating 100000 head and netting
$40, 900, 900, it is surprising that a great
many mistakes have not been made and
that there have not been a flood of COM
plants. But, on ths contrary, the errors
reported haye been very few, and tho COM
plants the exception. None Of
the cattlemen expected tho business
would be- rs large as it proved to be.
SO while ample arrangements were made
for a fair business, when the great rush
came tho inspectors were pushed to the
vail. The arrangement for inspection were
at st. Paul, where Inpeotor Lander was in
charge, and at Chicago, with Inspector
Smith. There was also a JOINT inspector at
Omaha. The few errors reported and COM
plants received arose from the fact that on
two or three occasions the rush OF the cat
tie in the Chicago market waa SO great that
the inspector was utterly unable to look at
cattle. While he was inspecting one train
load, another would come in, be sold and
driven cut of the yards before he could get
around to it. But of the thoroughness of
the work done, both by the Inspectors and
the secratary. save in the case of the for
,ner on the great rush days, there is no
question.
The system Of checking is very interest
ing to the novice, and with which but few
stockmen are entirely familiar. The
cattle are first inspected at st.
Paul. Mr.. Landers sends to the
detailed statement, showing the date of in
spection, date of shipment, shipper. kind
Of stock, number of head brand, when
branded, owner and number of estrays.
The cattle then go to Chicago, where In
spector Smith goes over the same ground.
and in addition tells to whom the estrays
were sold. Gu the receipt of the two re-
ports the secretary enters them on big
tanks, the total shipment on one TO N,
aad the estrays, with all information. on
nloth.r. The next step in the process is
the ssldiue of Il check BY the conan ssion
house al@h sold the estrays. On the re-
ceipt Of TINS the brand is ooked up, the ad-
dress of the owner found, and all the pa
pers in the transaction, the account OF ths
commission man, a receipt to bs returned,
and a check is sent to ~thelowner. If the
brand is not recorded and the owner I'M
known, all the papers are filed away and
the next case taken up. The reason the
unknown owner is not looked up imme-
diately is because during the season just
closed there were hundreds of estrays paid
for when the brands were recorded. and 1t
kept the Office busy settling with known
owners. Some idea of the business dono
may be gained when it is said that there
are 100 sheets, forty-one lines to the sheet.
of estravs reported by the inspectors. In
one of these estray shipments 3O7 head were
reported, aggrogating $40, $685. 70. These
estrays belonged to ten or twelve different
people, and they all had to be checked up
and regulated. The esteays run from one
steer to fifty in n shipment.
The reports of the inspectors are kept at
the secretary's ohics for the inspection of
the public. and it very often happens that
some one while looking for his own estrays
discovers a band owned by a neighbour, and
In tins way many unknown owners are
traced. Some idea of the magnitude of the
work done ut Secretary Preuitt's office can
be obtained when it is said that SO great
has the correspondence been since last
April, that four large copying books have
been filled. In addition to finishing up the
business relating to the shipping season,
MIR. Preu tt is also furnishing the printer
with the copy for the brand book for 1892.
A large number of new brands will be
found In it, but there are yet many owners
who are unrepresented.