The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-05
SHEEP IN WYOMING.


long article on the sheep question by
Paul S. Richards, GA Wyoming Sheep
Man. Mr. Richards goes into the
question Of raising wool in Wyoming
very thoroughly. He traces the business
from wear TO year, showing the good
wears and the bad years, and he makes
computation of the cost of raising
wool in Wyoming, which is discourag-
ing indeed He shows that the total
cost Of running a band Of twenty five
hundred ewes for one year was
Sd73750, or $685. head, Adding
all the costs that would accrue, he
reckons in round numbers that 81
head is the cost OF carrying a band
Of sheep through the year in that
State He reckons that the amount
which he would receive for wool and
in the sale Of lambs and muttons is
$5215.37; that is, the profit is $227.s7
on the wear S business. This is a mar
row margin indeed. and this, it is TO
be remembered, is on the basis OF an
average year. 1t makes no allowance
for interest Oh money, and there is no
specific item set forth for the grazing
privileges. He therefore concludes
that the sheep business in Wyoming is
ga sick industry
Naturally Mr.. Richards is opposed
to the reduction of the tariff on wool.
He argues also that the drop in the
price of wool does not give any relief
in the matter Of the price of clothing;
for he says ave have seen drop in
the price of wool in two years from %
cents to II cents without any lowering
in the price Of wooden clothing" and
he notes further, ave have seen the
placing Of hides on the free list fol
lowed by q rise in the price of Shoes
Here Mr.. Richards is on solid ground,
He takes precisely the position that
The Tribune has been taking all along
upon these questions We have insist
ed and have shown IN the matter of
tea, coffee, and some other articles
Of trade, that when tho tariff was put
on there was naturally rise in the
price of the article to the ultimate con-
sumer, but when the tariff was taken
off, there was no change whatever; In
fact. in the case Of coffee there was
an actual raise in the price on the pre-
tense that the coffee crop was short,
Just as Mr.. Richards points out that
the taking off Of the tariff on hides
did not have the expected effect of
lowering the price Of shoes, but, on the
contrary, shoes are higher in price than
before. The same general result would
no doubt be shown in sugar as well as
in reciprocity articles generally,
Mr.. Richards's s article is q complete
verifcation of the position taken by
us heretofore on all this matter, and
we think that lie is about right when
he says that to take the tariff off from
wool would not lower the price of
clothing to the individual who buys a
wooden suit. The truth is that the
prices Of pretty much everything in
this country have got into grooves
whereby the dealers are enabled to
control the prices without regard to
legislation, and we doubt very much
WneeueI tpe LdhlGe ol inc taiih va
from wool would, in fact, reduce the
price of wooden clothes. IT seems
likely that cotton goods would be re-
duced somewhat in price if the un~
reasonable and exorbltant tariff was
taken off from some forms of cotton
goods; but it is by no means certain
that this would be the case. The re-
port Of the Tariff Board showed that
the cotton mills in this country are
using wornout and antiquated ma
chinery, and nre not up to date in the
economic production of cotton fabrics,
the manufacturers apparently depend
| ing upon the tariff to protect them in
wasteful manufacturing methods and
in the employment of inefficient ma
| chinery. To take of some of the tariff
on cotton goods would probably cure
this defect, and would compel the cot
ton manufacturers TO have machinery
up to date and introduce the best
their goods.
The article by Mr. Richards on the
production of wool in Wyoming prob
ably would serve very largely for a
corresponding statement Of the cost OF
wool raising in Utah and other of the
mountain states. and so serving. It
ought to cause very serious reflection,
not only in the minds of the wool rails.
crs and Of Congress, but Of the wooden
manufacturers of this country; for
these wooden manufacturers are con.
victed by the Tariff Board OF substan-
tIallv the same waste and lack of en-
terprisc that the manufacturers Of cot.
ron goods exhibit. and we cannot doubt
that system OF distribution which
would be Just and fair to the wool
raiser. to the manufactures, and to the
puhlic. could be devised by the expert
opinion Of this country that would al
ford substantial relief TO those who