The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1895-12-26
Shipping Sheep Abroad.

A LARGE MONTANA GROWER SAYS THAT UN
DER THE PRESENT WORKINGS OF THE Will
son TARIFF BILL IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RAISE
SHEEP IN THIS COUNTRY AT A PROFIT.
We published recently an article from a
Montana paper concerning the proposed
shipment Of sheep to London by Mr.. Ralph
Berry, a former resident of Waldo county
We now find in the Baltimore Herald d
Dec. 10th the following interview with Mr.
Berry:
Ralph Berry, large sheep-raiser Of Mea-
CHER county, Mont, was registered at the
Carrolton Hotel yesterday.
| Mr. Berry raises yearly $1,000 head of
sheep on his four ranches in Montana. His
| presence here is due to the fact that in order
to dispose OF his sheep at what he considers
anything like fair price he has found it
necessary to ship them to England. He is
/ at present making arrangements to ship
from Baltimore to Liverpool 1000 sheep,
part OF which have been sent from the West,
days.
| "Under the present state Of affairs, due to
i the workings of the Wilson tariff bill, it is
impossible to sell sheep at anything like a
fair profit said Mr. Berry.
"This experiment Of shipping sheep to
Liverpool from Baltimore was tried about
two years and half ago by y. B. Long Of
Sycamore, LII, who raises about 165 900 head
of sheep yearly. He found it was fairly sue
cessful. and have determined to try it,
at is impossible now to sell sheep in this
country, even for what it costs to raise them.
In Montana in 1892 sheep were worth 81 a
head. and in the lal Of 1898, owing to the
passage Of the Wilson bill, they Went down
TO $50. Sheep shipped to Chicago that
year just paid the freight. The price Of wool
was duced from Is cents to cents a
pound.
"Sheep will bring now i'll Liverpool, A.
cording to the latest reports, about 81 shi-
| lings a head. 1t costs in the neghborhood
of Sd ~ to ship them from Montana to Liv-
erpooi. TO this must be added 81 Is for
grain with which the sheep must tie fed fur
| foreign shipment. This brings the cost no
to 81 So. This amount deducted from the -
shilllngs, about IS. leaves only little over
81 a head. II costs not less than Is cents to
raise sheep, even with the many facilities
Montana affords, so that even with ship
nent across tile water there il little made
on them, but it is mach better than having
to dispose of them here
1.-The general public does not understand
the enormous expense attached 10 the wool
growing industry. Sheep take considerable
care and the wages paid her,lers are BY no
means a small! Item. The herhers get $50
a month apiece and Keep, and the foreman
500 to 500. The fencing around the ranches
IS big item, and tht hay which the
sheep have to be fed duriug the winter.
aUnder the Wilson hii wool growers Of
the United States cannot compete with
those Of Australia and South America.
There must be a tariff similar to that pro
t viaed for by the Mckinley bill. They re-
duee the tariff ut a jump instead Of having a
sliding scale, 80 that The growers could get
ont Of the business gradually without loss,
if they chose.
"Although the business has been so bad |
! look for 1t to be better i'll the future. This il
simply from the fact that many Wool