Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-02-21
Secretary Of Cattle Sanitary
Board Replies to Letter by
|. A. Hughes.
WORK ACCOMPLISHED
Arrests Have Been Made and Convic.
tions will Follow Based on Evi.
dence Cleaned by Hide
Inspectors.
Las Vegas, February 10.

| LAS vegas, eDl udIy Ii.
Editor New Mexican-L. A. Hughes
comments upon the workings of the
| hide inspection law are so biased they
would command little attention except
for their mis-statements. That "hide
inspection is a farce" cannot be
proven.
Within ten days our inspectors
have seized more than fifty hides with
the brands cut out of them at Albu-
querque alone. We will not be able
to convict man for every hide, but
we already have sufficient evidence to
convict several and we are by no
means through with the matter.
At Las Vegas we have one man in
Jail and warrants are outstanding for
two others. The evidence on which
We will convict these men is in the
form of six stolen hides unearthed by
our inspector in the Meadow City. We
were on the lookout for these brands
and as soon as they were discovered
the warrants were sworn out
The recent arrests Of the three Les
evidence found by our inspector and
can cite half dozen other cases since
January / last, where the hide inspec-
ton law has worked to detect and
punish cattle stealing.
AS to the cost of inspection falling
upon the buyers, the charge is too
weak to stand. When buyer comes
to my ranch at Dorsey to buy hides
from me he either knocks off half
cent pound or ten cents pound from
the price paid. Thus it is l who pays
and not the buyer That this is done
elsewhere in the Territory | am GER
tain and am unwilling to believe that
SO keen a business man as Mr.. Hughes
is conceded to be, has allowed this
point to escape him. If he objects to
paying the inspection fee he has the
remedy entirely within his own
hands when he purchases hide. The
system of hide inspection is as near
perfect as it can possibly be made.
Every hide bears consecutively
numbered tag, put on with a seal press
as cars are sealed. Each inspectors
number on the press is also different
and when a hide is inspected the
brand appears opposite the inspectors
number A report is then filed in the
office of the secretary of the Cattle
Sanitary Board and any man finding
his brand upon the report could II
necessary find that identical hide out
Of thousands by it's tag number.
These reports already are daily con-
suited by cattle men and the value OF
the hide inspection law to the indus
try is two. fold for it acts both as a
and detector of crime.
The cattle men deserve this inspec-
tion, are willing to pay for it and II
Mr.. Hughes is not making them do so
he is certainly Overlooking a bet"
The law not only should not be re-
pealed, but should be strengthened
wherever possible. In Arizona the fee
is twenty-four cents per hide. Here
it is only ten. Mr.. Hughes has al
ready lost his suit in the District and
Supreme Court of New Mexico, the
law being fully upheld both as po-
lice regulation and as being constitu.
tional. He had better save his mon
ey and not risk further appeal to
the United States Supreme Court
where he would get third turn
down."
WILLIAM G. BARNES,
Secretary of Cattle Sanitary Board.