The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-10-03
WOULD SCOUR
THEIR WOOL
M'kINNEy's PROPOSITION TO
MONTANA SHEEP GROWERS.
ne SUBMITS SOME FIGURES
Shows How Sellers Will Profit by
Securing Staple Before
Selling It.

At present an eastern gentleman is
making a tour of the principal wool
centers of the state on an errand that
is likely to receive considerable at
tention form the sheepmen of the
various localities visited by him. His
name is r. H. Mckinney and he. halls
from Aurora, Ills.
The object Of his Investigations is
to ascertain the feasibility of erect
ing a wool securing plant at some
point in Montana. He is the owner
Of several of these institutions in I'LL
nCis and much of the wool handled
by him comes from this state, Wyo-
ming, Utah and several others of the
wool producing states west of the
Missouri. His idea is to establish a
like plant at some central place in
this state that would accommodate
"a large number Of wool growers and
scour their product before it is sold
to the eastern buyers, the seller to
send the wool direct to the plant be-
AOI0 OiISIlH6 ~ " diC H E
Mr.. Mckinney was at Big Timber
a few days ago and is said to have
expressed himself as favorably inn
pressed with the prospects there for
his line of business:> To persons with
whom he talked there he said that not
~withstanding the higher freight rate
on the secured article than on wool
in the grease and the added cost of
securing, the difference between the
price he would receive for the clean
wool and that not cleaned would more
than compensate the seller for the
apparent discrepancy. The difference
in weight alone would more than off
set the difference in freight rates.
The much higher prices which the
eastern markets would enable the
buyers on the local market to pay
from "a to AZ cents a pound, or an
average of 3S cents, almost three
times the average price paid for wool
in the grease. Mr.. Mckinney figured
that taking the average prices as a
basis for his calculations, the produce
er would receive $1.S7 per 100 pounds
more for his wool than he now is get
ting.
A Former sheepman. !
While at Big Timber Mr.. Mckinney
is credited with having made the fol
lowing statement:
IT have the best interests of the
sheepmen at heart, because l was my
self at one time largely interested in
sheep in southern Wyoming, and
would like to see them get from their
wool all the profit that there is.
81 have been in Billings and Miles
City and have talked with several
prominent growers and business men,
all of whom are in favor of promoting
the establishment of a securing plant.
The conditions, I think, are better for
such a plant in Big Timber than in the
other towns that l have visited. How
ever, as yet am wholly undecided,
and shall visit other wool centers of
the state and ascertain the advant-
ages to be offered by each before !
reach a conclusion. ] am of the opin-
ion, considering that the people of
Montana are not averse to progress.
that the wool men, when ono they
are brought to know what benefits
are actually to be derived from the
securing of their woods before market
will not be slow in assisting in
the establishment and maintenance of
such plants at several different points
in the state"