The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-11
Wednesday, April IL. 1894.
THE FUTURE OF WOOL.

The Great Falls board of trade has
under consideration the much talked-of
plan for the relief of woolgrowers, which
has for its basis the home securing of
wool. to which is added the suggestion
or rather hope of being able to establish
a home market for the secured product
and have issued a circular asking the
support and cooperation of woolgrowers
to this end. 1t is almost a waste of
words to say that the woolgrowers have
long looked forward TO the time when
or seventy per cent of waste matter that
encumbers it. and shipped clean TO mar
ket. II is not only adverse TO their in
terests. but repugnant TO common sense
that high rates of freight OF any freight
at all should be paid by them on so
large a proportion Of refuse matter
when it is plain TO the aforesaid com
mon sense. hat tn securing can be as
well done here as j the east. But there
appears to be Job .acles that have been
insutmountable } the wo~olgrowers in
their present unC ganized condition. We
are told that th manufacturer prefers
to buy his wool in the natural state and
scour it himsel Thus far this prefer
ence" has haC TO be recognized 10 the
extent-in on instance that we know OF
of the disr tntling of a well-appointed
securing pla t that had been erected in
a neighborlng wool center, and which
never turned a wheel. The influence
that was brought to bear in this instance
must have been powerful. indeed. TO
compel the abandonment Of a Legitimate
business enterprise, and, as every one
comedies. a much-needed one. after the
investment Of a large sum Of moue.
and before it had even made an expert
ably no less than a boycott by eastern
commission men and manufacturers Of
any wool treated at this plant. and as
long as the marketing q our wool il
conducted as at present. such a threat
will always be etfectual. The sugges
ton offered in the Great Falls circular
for a home market is the CLEAN Of prom
Use, but not a particularly bright one.
As long as the majority of woolgrowers
are as anxious as they have been 10 put
their affairs in the hands of eastern
commission men. the latter will continue
to occupy the commanding position that
they do, If it were possible for all west.
ern woolgrowers to combine on the prop,
osition of home securing and home
sales, and not ship one pound of wool
that was not sold outright. there is no
doubt but that the market would move
west, during the season at least. and
that the growers would speedily become
educated in the market grading. so that
they would know what they were selling.
which they do not now. The Australian
shippers do not pay even cheap ocean
freIghts on the refuse matter il then
wool. 1t is cleaned and tagged. and
nothing shipped but what is marketa-
BILE. and yet the manufacturer take il
freely. because they want il and cannot
get it only as the growers ship it to
them. The remedy for western growers
would seem 10 be equally within reach,
but can they and will they organize to
enforce it: That is the question for
them to determine. The matter Of
freights is not 50 important as home
market and home grading though not
by any means unimportantl for the
transportation companies, where compe-
tition does not exist. are not going 10
lose from a half TO ~three-fourths OF their
traffic by the elimination of the refuse
matter in the wool shipments. without
advancing either rate or classification on
the secured product, to make up some
thing of the difference. The home mar
ket and home grading is what we want,
and l. in the change. the middle man is
eliminated, there should be no tears
shed. In the process Of trade as well
as nature, only the indispensable survive.