The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-07
TIE wooLMEN's CONVENTION.

The Tribune cordially welcomes to
Utah the ockmasters of the United
states in their annual convention now
being held in Ogden. They arc 4 very
large and truly representative class of
citizens. Their business has been far
Iv prosperous under conditions ms they
have existed, although there has been
some friction between them and the
WOODEN manufacturers, who arc in con.
troll Of the market On the whole, how.
ever. they have dopc fairly we'll
But there arc some points of conflict,
somc things that need 10 be improved,
enc of these we Dotcc IS already fore.
shadowcd. IN he arbitrary and al times
apparently unfair methods of admins
tcrlng the grazing permit business on
the so.callcd forest reserves. This rs
scheduled for thorough thrcshing out
IN This conycutjor, and doubtless the
subject will he cxhaustlvelv and fairly
treated Chief Forester riuchot is cx.
pectcd 10 attend tho convention towards
the close doubtless with the view cf
controlling the expressions made
through resolutions, as he is accustomed
TO do Whether nc viii he able 10 sup.
press the free Judgment Of the conven-
tion this time or not is a question,
II he is able 10 suppress Utah will not
Join the other mountain States in oh
iccting TO the arbitrary methods of the
forestry service. If he is rot able TO
suppress. we may expect some pointed
expressions from fins convention.
In connection with this grazing prop.
ositiou, the convention will no doubt
oppose ,bc proposition 10 turn over the
winter ranges 10 the forestry service.
II would, in fact, be thoroughly absurd
TO turn over those ranges as forestry
proposition. There have never been any
thing like forests on those ranges. There
probably never will he, unless some
different method Of raising trees is de
viscd than that which is now known.
IL might be contendcd that ipasmuch
as the forestry service controls the
summer grazing. il should also control
tho winter grazing; but it. controls the
summer grazing on The theory that that
grazing is in thc forest reserves; but by
no stretch of the imagination could
the winter grazing grounds he treated
as forests, in any sense. 1t is true. 10
be sure, that the summer grazing
grounds arc not particularly forests
either. and never were. Still. the hc
tion that they arc forests and the fur
ther 6ctiou that the forestry bureau
is protecting large forest areas, aud is
rcforesting areas that have been de-
nudcd OF their trees, is made TO do
duty among those who do not under
stand the faces but are thoroughly dc
voted 10 the idea Of national conscrva-
tion so called. and Of making trees
grow IN the mind whether they grow
in the ground or not
These two questions viii doubtless be
prominent. Another should assume even
greater prominence, or at least pro-
vision should be made for meeting the
condition which is )ikcly 10 face the
flockmasters. The old tariff law gave
tho wool manufacturers complete con
troll of the wool market, The new tar
iff bill docs the same. Under the old
tariff bill the wool manufacturers de-
pressed the price of wool at the time of
clipping in the spring, so that the flock
masters were obliged 10 store their
wool and hold il for IN advance. This
will doubtless be necessary as gen
cral policy hereafter. But even then
the wool raisers are liable 10 get the
worse of il. because with the control
Of the wool manufacturers made COM
pletc, il is quito possible that they
may he able 10 control the market at
| all seasons of the year Ii this turns
out 10 be the case, as VIC have sug.
gcstcd heretofore that IL may be, then
the wool producers will he unable TO
help themselves at any time against the
arbitrary market control by tho manu-
facturcrs. This is a subject that may
well occupy the attention of the con
vcntion nj Ogden, because it is rca-
sonablc presumption that the condition
indicated will be upon the wool pro-
ducers in the spring.
] Welcoming these good citizens TO