Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-13

lphot
state. Az wghtef Fle'cs, Az shrkg
$ !:$: &: !: S. S: S. s.: So: So:
oregon 80, s gs . per cent
Nevada .. lbs. " per cent
Colorado SO lbs, 90 per cent,
California q. i.2o lbs. " per cent,
The average weight OF fleeccs shows
an increase over 1904 of six-tenths OF
pound, while the average shrinkagc
shows decrease OF three-tenths per
cent, both OF which is a step IN the
right direction.
The total supply OF domestic wool
unsold IN the United States on Jan. l.
1906, was 72.i6l,443 pounds, and on the
same date, 1905. 4l,sIS.sll pounds, max
ing 3O,5S7, 632 pounds more ON hand at
present than there was year ago.
The total supply Of foreign wool un-
sold I'm the United States on the first
OF the present year was 2iil4O0O
pounds, as against li,562,0oO pounds
on the same date a year ago, making
l2.gS2, 900 pounds more foreign WOOL
on hand than on the same date one year
ago.
The total supply OF unsold wool, both
domestic and foreign. Is therefore, Jan.
/, 1906, 96,S75,443 pounds, and on Jan
/, 1905. b3,435,sll pounds, being $3.50.
sac hounds more unsold wool on hand
now than there was one year ago
These figures cover the amount or ac-
tual unsold wool In the country, ana
does not take into consideration the
amount OF manufactured wool OF
course which Is necessarily quite large,
as nearly all OF the larger mills have
q sufficient supply on hand to run them
FOR some time.
Wool was free from 1888 to 1915. II
was dutiable from 1916 to 1894. II was
free from that date until 1897 and It has
been dutiable ever since Five consecu-
tive years OF uninterrupted prosperity
have brought about a change or heart
among the wool growing interests In
this country which Is the more signit-
cant from the fact that the improve
rnent and the promise have been achiev-
ed In the face Of certain adverse condl-
tions which have previously not only
thwarted any Improvement and promise
but have eaten Ike canker into the
development OF the industry For sew
eral years past the American flock has
betrayed a loss In the aggregate. This
has been due TO number of things but
principally to the steady contraction OF
the range area which year by year has
become more and more CONSTRUCTED as
the open lands in the west have been
taken up by the homesteaders, as the
powerful cattle kings with rope and
gun have driven the shepherd farther
and farther from the land which they
reserved for their own uses by force OF
arms and by certain shadowy claim
of divine right, to the temptingly high
prices prevailing for mutton and lamb,
and most potent of ALL by the opera
ton OF the forest reserve laws. That
the American flock. In the face of all
four Of these adverse factors, should
show an increase for the year 1905,
slight though It IL, can be taken To
mean but one thing.
Some new factor must have made It's
appearance OF sufficient power to more
than offset the inroads Of all four of
the others
What does II mean when the daily pa
pers print dispatch after dispatch from
Texas and other states declaring that
grazer after graZer has disposed OF his
cattle and is going into the sheep bust
ness, after perhaps five or 10 years in
which he has refused to raise sheep?
OF course Il means for one thing that
the squeezing process OF the Beef trust
Is having its natural effect on the eat
tie industry, But more pronounced than
this II means that sheep raising IN
this country has again arrived upon a
stable basis which insures profit to
the grower and the newcomer in the
industry and which makes the venture
worth the undertaking. What more
healthy sign could evince itself. 1t re-
quires no very acute analysis to dis
cover the underlying cause of this note
worthy change of tendency. From the
beginning. the wool growing industry
In thA country has followed the tariff
ny and down.
THE AWFUL SLUMP OF 1900.
The present prospects are no brighter
than were they I'm 1900. On the sur
face no year opened with brighter pros
poets than did the year 1900. Dealers
rushed their men out to the territories
and contracted for wool on the Sleeps
back Mt top prices. They did not reck-
on with the huge supply of unmanufac-
tured wool stored all over new England
by the mills. Another evil influence
supplemented the enormous hidden sup
plies owned by the American mills.
England's failure to win In South
Africa terrified all the money lenders
OF Europe. Speculation stopped abroad.
General business sickened in Europe
European mills ran on short time,
Prices on wool outside this country
struck the lowest figures ever recorded
lower even than In 1896.
Such a world wide depression IN wool
could not but have its effect on the
American wool trade, and so while
general business was excellent In the
United States. the wooden mills only
dared to buy from hand TO mouth on
a declining market for their raw ma
terial. and proceeded gradually TO
work up their stock on hand, The sales
for the year were less than ever be-
fore and prices went steadily down
Stocks accumulated and the supply Of
all kinds OF wool on hand for sales at
the end Of the year In the United States
was 233, sS9, GOO pounds. the largest stock
on hand ever recorded with one excep-
ton, that Of Jan. /, 1899. when 1t was
29l l6S,6s0 pounds.
1t Is worthy of note. however. that
In this year Of general disaster through
out the world In the wool trade that
In the United states. IN sharp dlstinc-
tion to other countries prices at no
time fell 20 the record OF 1886
The year 1905 opened with a total
stock OF wool unsold In the United
States smaller by 14,3i4 ls9 pounds than
on Jan. |, 1904 and less than avallah BILE
Jan. |, 1908, by 6s4y5. 76i pounds. The
year 1908 ranks even more prosperous
than the phenomenal year OF 1904
, Prices. have advanced steadily through
out the period, and the close of the
year shows a sound situation. The
most notable advance during the year
was on territory fine staple woods.