Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-11-14
TO HANDLE THE
CLIP OF STATE
Details Of a Plan Under Which Il Is
Now Proposed the Wool Growers
Should Operate.
RAsIN GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Suuue stion That Methods Of California
Organization be Followed in This
StAte-WouId It Work?

gard to the present method OF Market
ing the Montana wool clip, and the
changes that might be made for the
lection urged against the present sys-
tenn was that the buyers might, and
perhaps did, combine on their bids,
and that the grower not only lost the
commission, but also failed to get
what the wool was worth at the time,
less the commission. The growers
themselves appear to take little stock
in the suggestion of combine among
the buyers, at least SO far as Fergus
county is concerned. The first prop
osition was that the growers should
form themselves into an association
and create a commission of their own
to market wool. This plan was dis
ator John d. Waite in an interview
that appeared in the Argus. which was
copied all over the state, and to this
time has never been answered any
where, practically all the papers as
well as the growers agreeing that Mr..
Waite's views were unquestiOnably cor
rect. He opposed the plan simply be-
cause it was, in his opinion, imprac-
ticable, and could not be made to work
Details of a Plan.
The last issue of the Meagher Re-
publican presents the details Of a plan
worked out by the editor, and it GER
tainly has many excellent points to
commend it. The Republican tells of
the association formed by the Cali
fCrnia rasin growers for the purpose
OF handling their product which in
yolved the erection of a central plant
al Fresno. to which all the rasins are
to be sent. This plan is the basis OF
the one presented by the Republican
But one vital point is to be considered
In California. the raisin industry cen
tiers about Fresno. and the section OF
the San Joaquin valley of which FIRES
no is the center is the great raisin
producing district. There would be
no shipments from the San Jose dis
trict or from the Los Angeles dis
trict. Fresno being the natural point
for the handling of the entire raisi1
product. and the point from which il
has been handled ever since there was
such an industry, the association be
comes, naturally, of a local nature
and in that respect ought to worl
we'll. San Jose. the metropolis of the
Santa Clara valley. is the center of tn,
great prune growing industry, and an
association of prune growers has wOrl,
ed very we'll there. because practical
~ nothing outside of the limits o
Santa Clara is ever shipped in to tina
association. Further south, in the Gil
rus belt the orange and lemon grow
ers have another association. and that
too. is of local nature. So there are
in California. three great fruit grow
ers associations, each handling dill
ferent product and each operating il
its own field.
To make such a plan applicable t
the Montana wool growing, it woul
have to present the same advantage:
and this, most people think, cannot b
accomplished. How could the woo
from Custer, Chouteau. Fergus an
Eeaverhead be shipped to any on
point so as to make a gain for tn
growers? The wool industry in MOI
tana extends over the whole state, il
stead of being centralized in any on
section. This will doubtless be urge
as an objection against the Republ
cans plan, which, in full, is as fo
lows:
The Republicans Plan.
Some weeks ago under the captiO
of Wool Commissions We registere
a protest against allowing the lars
sums of money earned by the wo
commission men of the east to go o.
Of the state. claiming that plan cou
be devised whereby it would be pos:
bic for the growers of wool to hand
their own product and thereby sa'
the middlemen's profit of somethiI
like ten per cent, net.
1.-The press of the state has take
ZIP the matter and many of our bret
rem have commented favorably on SUI
proposition and urged us to tell
the plan by which such mode can
made practicable. Having been tn
encouraged we herewith present
plan, as yet crude, the general pri
ciple of which we should like to ha'
discussed-not only by the press, b
the men mostly and primarily intere.
ed-the wOolgrOwers.
"Out in California there is just SUI
an association as it is our desire al
wish to see formed in Montana. Ca
fornia is the home of the raisin. F
years this fruit was brought up by
number of individual concerns WI
being put on their mettle by keen CO
petition, treated the growers very W.
indeed. Then a gentleman of Il
'Frenzied Finance type hit upon t
plan to bring all the handlers or pac
ers of raisins into one concern. T
argument of the dollar to be made
the more economic method of handli
this staple appealed to the concer
and a merger was formed. 1t W
but step further until this new {
topus fastened upon the growers al
began to squeeze them till in d.
peration-not having been allow
to make more than a mere living
they reyolted and threw off the yo'
that was threatening to destroy the
utterly. They formed themselves
to an association. built their own pla
and every grower in the state pied
ed himself TO give the new institute
his support The plan worked
worked to the extent that the ra
roads DESTROYS of this business beg;
to bid for it and today the institute,
flourishes beyond the expectations
the most sanguine
"1t will be argued that whereas Il
raisin industry is confined to but o.
section of California, wool grown
is carried on all over the country, al
that it will be impossible to cOnce
trate the large interests involved. Y
reply nv pOinting out the fact that c;
tie, sheep, hogs, and in fact all II