Weekly journal-miner., 1911-05-24

Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana,
 Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and other
 states in the same parallel, hundreds
 of miles nearer Boston, the rate is
 S2.l3 a hundred pounds, or $113
 higher than from coast points. The
 cost to the wool grower to get a
 pound of pure wool to the Boston
 market from the western territory is
 6.39 cents pound, while the rail
 roads will transport woolen cloth
 from Boston to the same territory
 for 3.75 cents a pound. Thus, the
 Taw product pays a transportation
 charge of nearly 100 per cent more
 than the manufactured article.
 "The railroads invariably have sought relief from the amended fourth
 section of the act to regulate com merce on wool shipments by filing applications with the Interstate Com merce Commission to allow them to continue the higher interediate rate
 charge. These applications for re lief by the carriers will be heard at the same time as the proceeding for a reduction in rates as filed by wool growers.
 "The railroads appear to have sort of a superstitious reverence for the classification they have placed on wool and because of this they are prepared to wage battle to pre- vent any change in classification, fearing that should wool be reclassi- fled it would open the subject for general reclassification of the thous- ands of other articles enumerated in the railroad classifications, wool be- ing considered the "keynote" in the classification scale.
 "The plea of the carriers is the old, old cry of water competition. when the fact is that no wool is raised along the ocean borders. Prac- tieally all of the wool is grown in the interior, hundreds of miles from the coast. We hold, therefore, that the excessive rates charged for the transportation of this product over the rate as fixed at the ocean line is arbitrary and unlawful.
 1.-The excess rates being exacted from the wool growers in the western country approximates $2,0OO,0OO year ly, and this is the amount for which the battle is being fought to save the American flock-master from ruin. As this sum is divided among many transportation companies the reduc tiOn to each carrier would be as trifle to the enormous earnings which the carriers secure annually, but to the hard-pressed flock-master it means his salvation.
 'The National Wool Growers case will attract nation wide attention. 1. Indication are there will be several hearings held by the Interstate Com merce Commission in different parts of the country, west and east, to gather all the facts and figures avail able. so as to enable the commission ' CTS to give proper determination to this question. which means so much to every individual of the United States because of the wide use of wool in the manufacture of neces- !. sary articles.
 'With the extinction of the flock master of the United States, espec- tally in the districts under complaint, wool prices would soar beyond the reach of the average individual. Even . now the worlds shrinkage of sheep ! in the last 15 years is 40,000,OOO, while the population has increased Sl00, ,00O.0 900 in the same period. It . is clear from these figures the menace that threatens the people by the treatment of the carriers in charg | ing the wool grower excessive freight rates that are prohibitive to the industry.
 "The floek-masters of the United States, particularly those in the country west of the Missouri river, are engaged in desperate battle for existence. On the one hand the wool growers face revision downward of schedule 'K,' the agitation of which has already caused a heavy slump in the price of wool of this years and on the other hand the railroads are charging excessive rates from the western areas of pro- luction to eastern markets. In view of these facts the outlook for the wool grower is not bright.