The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-11-29
BETTER TIMES FOR srOCKMEN.

for Montana stockmen in the views ex
pressed by M. E. Miner, q we'll know
northern Montana citizen who has fol
lowed the ups and downs of the cattl,
business for the past twenty-five years
In q recent interview printed by thu
Great Falls Tribune, Mr.. Miner i.
quoted as follows:
II will begin by saying that in 100:
l stated 10 q newspaper interview tina,
it was the banner season, the best tina,
ever occurred In the range cattle bust
ness, and that its like would probably
never be known again. All the con.
dittons were so favorable as to be mos,
stimulating, and many new men en-.
gagged in the business, and old timers
stocked up at prices paid for young
cattle that they eve realized from
the sale of the same cattle when ma.
tured. AT that time the big packers
were quarreling among themselves
prior to the effective formation OF
their combine; the greatest ~beef-eating
nation on earth had a war Upon its
hands that caused q large consump.
ton of timed and cured meats; nature
had covered the ranges with q SUPER
abund ance Of grass and water, in con-
sequence Of which the cattle became
very fat; and the railroads gave bet
ter service than they have any year
before or since.
"The conditions that have prevailed
during the past three years, including
therein the present one, have been ex-
actly the reverse. 1t seems Us though
nature and man had combined for the
undoing of the cattlemen. A continu.
Gus period of virtual drought of that
duration had not previously been
known in Montana. Thus we find ma.
ture playing into the hands of that
gigantic squeeze, the beef trust, for,
arbitrary though the packers are on
occasion, they invest their acts with
an air of p%lausibility when it is made
possible by the poorer condition and
larger number OF range cattle that are
marketed.
"The requirements of the govern.
meut in the matter of scabies among
range cattle has largely increased the
distress of the stockmen. 1t Is q pub.
lie calamity that some scientific gen.
tlemen who may be chuck full of tech.
meal knowledge but who are deficient
In horse sense were inspired with q
desire to obtain fame by making
alarming reports and exaggerating
consequence of 40 occasional case
Of bovine skin affection, until the we'll.
meaning but impractical secretary of
agriculture placed an embargo upon
the range cattle business.
"We have this year seer our cattle
selling as though they we're bankrupt
stock upon a bargain counter. The
average price of all the beef steers
sold has not been &c. 40 per cwt., and
the average net loss to owners cannot
have been less than $40 per head when
all sources of expense and of loss are
taken into account. BY that l mean
maintaining ranches and winter feed.
ing, running IN outfit, to gather and
ship the beeves. interest on money in.
vested, payment of taxes, loss of cat.
tie that perish from drought and in
winter storms, from falling into the
air holes In rivers, and from the prac.
tice that many settlers have Of running
them with dogs; to which add the trib.
ute that Is exacted by the ineradicable
wolves and their counterpart, the ire.
pressible rustler.
ITO illustrate the advantage that is
taken OF the producer, | will call at
tention to the fact that the price of
boots and shoes IL to be increased
largely because of the ad in the
price Of hides.
snow, many of our cattle have this
season sold in the Chicago and St.
Paul markets at not much above the
price of green hides, which according
to quality and weight, bring to the
purchasers of our cattle from IS to $lA
per hide. Very few OF the best dry
cows have netted in Chicago $50.
The carcass of a lOOO.pound COW will
dress 600 pounds of meat, which surely
will not be sold by the packing con.
Germs for less than 5 to 8 cents per
pound on the average. 1t will be seen
that there is something rotten at the
stock yards In spite of the fairfield re.
port IN favor of the packers.
"Such u long period of depression
and adversely has never before exist.
ed, and l feel confident that We have
this year seen the lowest stage of the
range cattle business, just as in 100:
we witnessed its highest. My reasons
for so believing r three.fold:
"First-No kind of piratical prac.
tees on the part of the packers, o
railroads or of any of the thievinl
trusts of which the infamous Rookie.
teller was the inventor. Mark Ham,
the propagator, and the Mckinley ad