The Mankato free press., 1909-01-22
Western Wool Men Put Up Fight
Against the MiddIeman.
PROFITS TO COMMISSION MEN
Talk of Establishing Immense Ware
house at Omaha or Chicago For
Their Convenience.
Especial to The Free Press.1

Pocatello, ID, Jan. l4-That the
sheep men of the United States lose
millions of dollars annually through
the Vaccinations of the middlemen is
the statement of officials of the Ma
tional Wool Growers association, which
opened its forty fifth annual conven-
tion here today Plans will be made at
the present meeting to circumvent the
commission men by establishing a ma
tional wool warehouse in Chicago or
Omaha, with branches in all wool
manufacturing centers, where the fleece
may be disposed of at the best pos
sible price and without paying inn
mense profits to commission merchants.
Sheep men from all over the country
are here and a majority are enthus-
iastic in their adherence to the stor-
age movement, which has already been
tried out on a small scale with great
success.
Many Prominent Speakers.
The convention will extend through
three days, the list of speakers in
cluding George B. McCabe, solicitor of
the department of agriculture at
Washington; Fred w. Gooding of Sho-
shone, president of the association;
Governor Frank r. Gooding of Idaho,
Hon. T. J. Wash of Helena, DR.. j.
NJ. Wilson of Douglas, Wyo.; A. j.
Knollin of Chicago; Francis Perry
Elliot of Nashville, Tenn; Hon. A.
B. Moss of Payette; Hon. Peter G.
Johnston of Blackfoot; Colonel Z. j.
Bell of Laramie, Wyo., and w. H.
Nanss of Chicago.
Samuel Ballantyne, secretary of the
Idaho Wool Growers association. is a
strong advocate of the warehouse stor-
age plan. In speaking of the plan Mr..
Ballantyne said:
Is Business Proposition.
This is business propoition pure
and simple. 1t is self-explanatory.
The sole object is to eliminate the
middle men who have gotten i'm
mensely rich from the profits of our
fieeces. We could build this warehouse
of ours out of solid gold bricks and
pay for it less than five years from
the profits we give these men. As was
naturally expected they were trying
to discourage the sheepmen in this un-
dertaking. They are not going to let
go of a good thing without making
a fight, and today they are making of
fers on the next years clop. The
cause of the offers must be apparent
to sheepmen; and if they can accom-
plish their purpose growers can be
assured that in the years to come
they will pay well for it.
Sweat Out of a Million.
"The sheep men of this state were
sweat out of more than a million of
dollars on their 1908 clip Most of
us have not forgotten this experience
yet, at least from a financial point of
view. This million dollar sweat was
very simple little stunt on the part
of the commission men. They formed
combine to all stay out of the mar
ket until a certain date. Their AGENTS
were sent here early in the season,
and it was only with the greatest con-
descension on their part that grow
er could even induce them to look at
his wool.
The Omaha wool warehouse was
great success this year. Woods
that the buyers offered but 9 cents
for at the corrals sold in Omaha for
l71a cents. The Montana Wool Grow
ers' association has wool warehouse
in Philadelphia which has proven very
The Montana wool BROUGHT
on an average of Z cents pound
more than the Idaho clip this year"