The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-17
FALLS AS A WOOL CENTER
How the Wool IL Brought to Market-scenes in the Warehouses
Buyers and establishments People and
Humorous Situations

made upon the articles in the neces-
sary part of the list. This happened
two and three years ago when wool
dropped to the bottom n the mer-
chants made more complaint on The
price of wool than even the growets.
Stocks had to be carried over, and tile
sales were hardly n~oticeably increased.
When a growers list includes purchases
amounting to several thousand dollars.
the impetus given local trade can be
apprco.s ted. and a cutting of s1ch haas
Is felt no less.
The scene at the warehouse during
sales is certainly unique. The sales
room occupies the center of the big
warehouse. and as each clip is offered
for sale sample sacks from the clip are
brought in. The buyers, with that in
fallibility which is born and cultured
only in Boston, and thence exported in
original packages to other portions or
the United States, make a rush at the
bales standing against the walls of the
warehouse; each selects what he con-
siders the poorest bale in the lot, al
though all look alike to the casual by
lander, and each being infallible in
himself, selects a different bale. These
are brought by the laborers to the
salesroom, each bale is ripped up the
side seam with a knife. n then the
buyers, clad in every kind of summer
costume, golf, tennis bicycle and yacht
ing, wade through the mess. picking the
fleece i'm each hand, netting II,
squeezing it, turning il over. selecting
pieces of the fiber and testing their
toughness with a jerk of the arms. Then
there are some questions asked OF
the owner as to the proper
ton of bucks and ewes and
whether each kin was separately sack
ed; some remarks made about Lincoln,
| Rambouillet, Shropshire and Merino ana
other things equally unintell1giple 10
the man who has not the shibboleth OF
the buyer; then the buyers draw to one
side to consult memories and memoran-
dunn books and finally to make a figure
and their initials on a slip OF paper. In
the meantime the owner stands over his
property looking half pleased, half
badgered. He takes the slips of paper
as they are handed to him and looks
them over carefully. The chairman OF
the buyers finally calls out, "All you
fellows bid?" and announces that bids
are closed. 1t is then the turn OF the
seller.
1t is the first time for a year that the
seller can ascertain for himself and to
a cent whether his work has brought
him a good, round remuneration or
whether it has been lost. A cent or
two in the price either way may mark
the line between loss and profit. Natu-
rally, then. 1t is an important moment
when he sits down and runs over the
bic. He scrutinizes each carefully, hop
ing that a doubtfully written 2' may
prove to be a ~" some OF the sellers
make their decision in a few seconds,
others require a little prompting from
the chairman of the buyers. When 1t is
made the seller says very simply, Jones
or Smith gets it," and this closes a deal
perhaps involving thousands OF dollars.
A decision must be made at once-the
grower must sell or he must reject all
bids. If he adopts the latter course Ia
must ship his wool on consignment, as,
by agreement. the buyers refuse to bid
a second time on any one lot of wool
unless there is a very valid reason
therefor, such as the absence of one
partner in a firm of two members.
If the wool is sold the buyer sacks a
small sample and expresses it to his
firm by the first train. That is kept in
the brokers' office to be used in selling
the clip later on, while the balance of
the wool is baled by a process which
brings three bales down to the usual
bulk of two, and as fast as a buyer gets
a carload 1t is forwarded. With the
seller the rest of the season becomes a
matter of arranging with his bank,
making his purchases for the following
year-and lodging the men with a
scheme to spend his money. These are
not sharpers at all. but they include
men with everything to sell from a pat
ent scab cure to a life insurance policy.
They are all on deck and every one of
them gets acquainted Immediately the
clip is disposed of and they make life
agreeable or a hollow despair, according
to the disposition of their victim. The
cleaner in the field is the mutton buyer,
who follows the wool buyer and enables
the grower to dispose of his surplus
stock and to clean up his band. Some
times 1t happens that the grower in
vests some of his earnings in high
grade rams, which likewise gives the
mutton man an opportunity to pur-
chase.
During this time the banks, as well as
the merchants. have been busy. Figur-
ing on the estimate for this year, 5000,
900 pounds OF wool will pass through
this market: this at 16 cents a pound,
which possibly is a trifie high for the
average, would mean the payment OF
81, $50, 900 in the course of a month. Much
of the money will lie idle in the banks,
of course, while the rest of it, repre-
sented in drafts on Eastern cities, will
be checked out at once. Whatever Is
Ions with it, the money has had the eff
feet which all large expenditures OF
money have, the quickening of the cur
rents of trade and the general improve
ment of the financial condition of the
community in which 1t is expended.
When the market closes and the last
freight wagon with its load of provis.
ions leaves town, n the hotel piazza:
are bereft of the gaily dressed buyer
and the equally evident sheepman. a
quiet tina is almost stagnation by con
trast falls on the city for a few days
Outside of commercial aspects the buyer
is usually a jolly fellow. full of fun and
always on the lookout for IL. While hs
does not nix with the people In a for
mally social manner he plays baseball
! and usually participates I'm some public
form of amusement. When the Fourth
of July he spends his money lib
orally for fireworks and on that day h
is more irrepressible than the smalles
and most boyish small boy. He has 9
! good time himself and he incidentally
helps others TO one. He is missed wher
he goes and he is welcomed hearth,