The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-06-24
MONTANA WOOL GOSSIP.
Chouteau County Sheepman Believes
Prices Will Improve.

IL le Tue opinion OF one OI Tue AeoOe
ing %sheepmen of Chouteau county that
Montana wool of good quality has q
market value of about 20 cents. This
belief is due to information received
from Philadelphia, to the effect that
the Selway clips from the country
south of Billings we're recently sold
by contract, in advance of shearine.
ut from 20 to 214 cents. That Is the
statement made in a communication
from the Howard Boyer Wool com.
pany, an organization in which Wyo.
ming sheepmen are the principal stock
holders, and in which Mr.. Selway IL
interested. The purchaser of the Sell
way clips evidently looks for improved
business conditions, and believes wool
at the price quoted will prove to be q
profitable investment.
There is great diss satisfaction among
northern Montana sheepmen regard
ing the methods under which their
wool is handled at the railroad ware
houses at various points along the
line of the Great Northern. A rule
enforced by the railroad requires that
all wool placed in Its warehouses shall
be insured against loss by fire, the in.
surauce to be placed through the local
agent of the Great Northern. It IL
claimed by the shippers, however, tina,
they do not receive any insurance pol
icy, warehouse receipt. or any other
documentary evidence which would
show the amount of wool they may
have delivered at the warehouse, and
for which they could Ct aim compensa
ton in the event of loss.
Under these methods, it Is claimed
the wool grower might meet with con
siderable difficulty in collecting an in
~surance claim from the railroad com
pauy. The latter has not entered init
any formal contract to pay anything
there is no written acknowledgment
. that any wool has been received or in
cured, and the matter Is in such shap
that a claimant for loss by fire woul'
probably become involved in q lon
and expensive lawsuit.
The insurance premium, it Is alleged
= is collected at the time of loading o
!. the cars, when all risk from fire dur
ing storage has ceased. A sal
isfactory plan would be the paymer
of the premium at time of delivery
o the warehouse, when q policy shout
be issued for q stated period, subje'
d to an extension of time if desired.
Fred w. Putnam, the we'll know
& Boston wool buyer, whose pessimist
N interviews concerning the wool stu
ton 10 Montana have been widely pu'
le lished by the press of the state, hi
been grabbing everything 10 sight
the Judith basin, says the Great Fal
ID Tribune. 1t is reported from Levi
id town that he has closed up contrac
Of for the purchase of a number OF Il
/. choicest clips in Fergus county, a
greg ating 100000 pounds. TT
,e prices have in each instance been Ike
- secret, but it is given out that tn
- run 2 to 4 cents less than last year
figures.
While Mr.. Putna I'm may believe tn
=, Montana wool ia going to bring fro
), II to Is cents this season, and th
Ia there will be very little demand for
as be is quoted as saying, he has, a
!. parently not waited to see his sta
ments verified, but has been maxi
hay quite vigorously before compe
~ ton became too keen.