The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-01
GREAT FALLS AND BILLINGS
WOOL MARKETS. "
ONLY APPARENT NOT real
= Ambitions conspire to Give Seeming
~ Advantage to Sellers in
Y w Northern Montana.
From Tuesdays Daily Gazette.

From Tuesdays Daily Gazette.
OF course, the WOOlgrOwers know
the reason, but the general public
does not understand the apparent
discrepancy which continues to crop
out between the prices paid on the
local exchange and those obtaining on
the Great Falls market. Those not
familiar with the conditions as they
exist are prone to consider that tor
some reason the producers who are
so fortunate as to be close
enough to the latter market
to enable them to sell there
have a material advantage over
those who are obliged, bv reason of
distance to sell their product on the
Billings market.
At first glance this does appear to
he the case and many unjust remarks
are to be heard almost daily concern
ing the men who buy at this place.
Charges of a conspiracy are frequent
ly heard and considerable dissatisfac-
ton prevails which would have no
existence were the situation better
understood. Natural conditions con-
spire to make the difference. 1t is
true that the wool marketed in this
city is fully as good as that sold at
Great Falls, very often it is of a bet
ter grade, being finer in texture and
more desirable for the production OF
the higher class of textiles. Strange
as it may appear, this very tineness
is one of the causes of the apparent
lower prices.
In speaking of the matter this
morning, a well known sheepman
said: I
81 have Just been having a talk with
a man who has been complaining f
the apparent advantage the woolmen
who sell at Great Falls have over
those who sell here. Although l tried
hard to make myself clear and sought
to explain the situation, l I'M much
afraid I, did not succeed and left the
other man still Of the opinion he had
before I talked to him.
ut is like this: Up at Great Falls
the ranges are freer of sand and dirt.
This, of course, makes a vast differ
ence in the weight of WOOL and con-
sequently a less percentage OF shrink
age. Then, we raise a much finer
quality of wool here than do a major
ity of the flockmasters Of that part
of the state. Because of this fact
those not familiar with the wool bus
mess think we should obtain higher
prices. In reality we do, but appar-
emily we do not. The finer the wool
the larger amount of oil it carries
and hence the greater the shrinkage.
The wool ct northern Montana being
coarser, it is but natural that it should
contain a smaller per cen of oil and
consequently less allowance for
shrinkage need be made.
Dr.. S0... r,~@1 So lo~,~-l% ~, n. h nj y rn
basis of about ~ per cent, while in
the case of the wool bought at Great
Falls only about 60 per cent is allow
ference, you will observe. Even with.
the apparent great difference in prices,
it is safe to say that take it, sheep
for sheep. the men who, sell here re-
ceive more per animal for their clips
than do those of northern Montana.
| know of a sale that was made here
yesterday, and, mind you, it was not at
top prices, either, that returned no
less than S1.65 per sheep'to the man
who made it. l do not feel any hes
itancy in saying that not a man has
sold on the Great Falls market this
season who can say the same thing
and say it honestly. Then there is
the case of another man who had a
flock of bucks. They sheared no less
than 35 pounds, each. Take this at
the going prices on the loca! market
and you can easily figure out what
the returns will be.
Great Falls apparently offers bet
ter inducements as a wool market.
but when sifted down to the bottom
o will find that Billings is about as
good a market as can be found any
where, making allowances for every
thing that must be considered