The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-10
AN IMPETUS TO SHEEP
RAISING.
EVERY RANGE IN MONTANA
CAPACITY THE COMING
YEAR.
FOR THE KLoNDIKE.
Three Women in n Party for Alaska
That Passed Through ST. Paul
Yesterday.

with our present wool product Of
250,000,000 pounds annually, and the
amount we have on hand, it is estimat-
ed that it will take at least 100, 600 900
pounds of the foreign product to supply
the wooden mills of the United States
during the year." said f. S. Webster,
prominent Montana sheep man at the
Merchants hotel yesterday, to a
G o e reporter "The wool market
of this country is in sympathy with
( the London market, and the prices are
largely dependent upon the foreign
market, inasmuch as we are not able
to raise the amount of our own con-
sumption" continued Mr.. Webster.
he American markets are directly in
sympathy with the London market at
all times, and will continue dependent
upon the price of foreign wool as a
basis of the worth of the American
product, until we are able to raise the
fetal amount of our consumption. The
big wooden mills of the East are not
going. to pay more for American wool
than the Australian wool can be had
at in the London market. If the ruling
price in London is more than the price
asked for the American clipping on this
side of the ocean, our product will at
o1tce become stimulated, and in a short
time it will raise to an equal basis with
the wool of foreign countries, as it is
impossible for US to get along without
foreign wool with which to feed our
big wooden mills. Very fine fleece is
now bringing about IT cents per pound
in the West, or twice what was being
paid for the best material last year.
1.-The fact that the wooden mills are
compelled to buy a little less than half
of the raw material used in their fac
tories of foreign brokers, has done
much to raise wool to it's present price,
as the producers of the Australian
fleece can lay down wool in the grease
at New York, for cents per pound,
which, by adding the duty of II cents,
makes Is cents per pound for the for
eign wool delivered. For the past three
years foreigners have been importing
wool into this country, in the grease,
for from 8 to cents per pound, and as
soon as this wool was raised the Ameri-
can clipping also advanced to the same
basis. 1t is this competition which has
stimulated the wool business in the
United States during the past year. OF
course it has not been wholly due to
this, as 1 think the Dingley bill did
much to further and protect the wool
interests of the United States. Were
it not for the scarcity of the article
in the United States all the factories
would purchase the American clipping,
hi oI in tIy &c iIIct nd hof
brought to this country from foreign
shores The under production Of the
100, 600, 900 pounds, 1 think, is one of the
best things for the wool growers of
the United States, as it causes foreign
competition, and when the foreign
brokers get to bidding to supply this
immense shortage in the yield of the
United States, there is bound to be an
Increase in the price which unfailingIy
stimulates the American market.
81 think there will be more sheep
raised in the United States than ever
before, as the increased price of wool
has encouraged many sheep men to
continue business. who last year made
arrangements to wind up their business.
In the state of Montana alone there
will be 100000 sheep raised. The av-
erage clip per head will be about seven
pounds, which would yield $4,000, 900
pounds Of Wool from that state alone,
and 1 understand there is cOnsidera BILE
activity among the sheep men Of other
states. This year every range in Mon
tana will be worked to it's fullest ca
pacity, as sheep men feel encouraged
over the outlook.
1.-The mutton market is also affected
by the foreign wool market as the
value of a sheep is Influenced by the
price Of wool. If wool is worth Is
cents, ewes will sell for So, and if it is
| y I,04H -.
! months ago, it would be difficult toxdis-
pose of the finest stock for $3.50 per
| head"
In speaking of the facilities offered
by the Swift company at South st.
Paul, Mr.. Webster said: Both cattle
and sheep men feel inclined to favor
the market at South ST. Paul, and
many of the biggest sheep men in the
state of Montana have shipped their
focks to South st. Paul for market.
There is scarcely any difference in the
price paid in st. Paul and Chicago
after the freight has been deducted,
and the cattle and sheep men of the
state are at least going to give South
st. Paul trial. Last year I shipped
all my sheep to Chicago, and this year
consigned them to the yards at South
st. Paul. where 1 now have consign-
ment feeding
The exodus of people from the East
to the gold region seems to have COM
| menced, if the conditions could be
judged by the number Of people who
departed on overland trains yesterday
afternoon for the Pacific coast. On the
Northern Pacific and Great Northern
trains twenty-eignt KIondikers were
ticketed for Seattle. The lobby of the
Merchants hotel was full of prosDec-
tors with their sacks and baggage, and
from now on it may be expected that
many will pass through the city
A party of eight Cincinnati people
passed through the city yesterday en-
route to Alaska, registering for dinner
at the Merchants. The party was made
LID of four men and three woman MI.