The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-26
DRY RANGE HAS
HURT SHEEPME|V
Salt Laker Interested in Idaho
Stock Company Talks About
Sheep Industry.

Frank J. Hagenbarth of Salt Lake City
who is a representative of the Wood Live
stock company, also OF Salt Lake, which
company has two million dollars in cash
invested in the industry, was in Poca-
tello Saturday, and in talk with the Po-
catello Tribune, said:
HUnless 1t rains Oh the Idaho range
within the next few weeks, sheepmen
Will sustain an enormous loss. Every ex-
pense entering into the industry has more
than doubled In the last few years. Hay
has gone up from SO to $3.50 per ton 10
as high as $12 per ton that many Of us
had to pay last winter and even then had
to ship corn in from Kansas and Neb-
raslsa. and to 81 and 50 per ton for this
summer. Wages of herdsrs have gone
up from $25 to s35 per month with board
to SEQ per month with board. And better
board is demanded now than was true
then. too. 1t costs fully twice as much to
feed the men now than 1t cost only a
few years ago.
Every mans hand seems to be raised
against the sheepmen. In taxes, In cost
Of feed. in rental that we have to pay for
grazing land and in every other way
things are against us, a few years ago
we were getting our grazing land free
state, but now we have to pay a grazing
fee both to the government and to the
state and nre practically driven to own
all the land upon which We Craze our
sheep,
AZ was astonished in a close exarnina-
tion OF the books OF our company for the
purpose of making return to the govern
nlent in the corporation tax TO ascertain
that last year we had only per cenr
upon the actual cash invested. and TAX
Ing the loss to the plant by way Of de-
probation in the price OF sheep as they
grow old. we did not make even that
much. We maintain at least twenty
families in Idaho on ranches looking after
our interests In Fremont and Lemhi coun-
ties, and distribute annually many thous-
andS of dollars for help and supplies In
these counties. We cannot make as much
money now with wool at % and 23 cents
Il pound as we could make few years
ago with wool at 10 and Is cents. With
wool at those prices now we would abso- =
lutely have to go out of business as the
business could not be conducted without
an annual loss.
'"The price of wool is getting back to
satisfactory figure again, 1900 600
pounds having been sold in Montana re-
comfy at 81 and % cents. The trouble
was that some Of the sheep men got un-
reasonable and were going to demand
20 to 80 cents for their wool and refused
TO sell for less, That made the buyers
mad and they laid in a big supply and
then refused TO buy for less than 10 and
16 cents, The result was that both los,
money and the sheep industry has been
all upset. IT is. however. reaching an
equilibrium just az other business Is do
ing. You know there Is always a ten
dcncy to run wild along certain lines.
We see II on the mining exchanges where
certain stocks will have an unreasonable
run and then suddenly without any more
reason take a tumble downward. The
same thing Is true Of real estate, OF d.a-
monds and of every other thing. The
sheep industry Is no exception, and we are
just now In the midst OF an equalization
period which will soon settle down to a
stable condition"