Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1915-01-30
Fox STOCKS AND GOLD BRICKS.

still zone born every minute" pro-
motors of ''fox stocks" have entered
the lists and are among the latest and
most successful buncO steerers and
get-rich-quick artists. These people
made their representations so strong
that the Department of Commerce
at Washington has been exposing the
game. A letter from United States
Consul given publicity in the Com
merce Reports says that the present
status of the Prince Edward Island
fox business Is characteristic of all
enterprises that have been subject to
great imitation. The March, 1914,
sales of silver fox skins in London
averaged only Sls2.73 each, and the
June, 1914, sales averaged S118.7l
each. To make matters worse it was
found that the darker skins could
hardly find market at less than half
former prices. These discouragements
were followed by the practical ruin of
the present European market for lux
uries az result of the war, but the
least hopeful phase of the situation is
that the prices quoted above were
reached before the war disturbed nat
ural conditions.
The fox companies were so highly
capitalized that they found ii difficult
TO adjust themselves to these condi-
tiOns. In April, 1914, there were in
Prince Edward Island 900 silver
black foxes, and a number of red and
patch foxes that had little value. The
total authorized capital of the com
panies selling shares of stock based
on these foxes was S2S, 800, 900, or a
sum equal to the number of pairs of
silver black foxes in the island multi
piled by $50 600. The total number
of silver black foxes, counting 1914
pups, is now 1900, and the authorized
capitalization is S31 800 900. Probably
S28, 200, 600 of this stock has been is
sued; hence the capitalization is at
the rate of SO, 900 per pair. counting
pups and grown foxes.
The striking contrast between these
prices and the prices obtained for live
silver black foxes and for silver black
furs in the world markets where live
foxes bring an average of $500 per
pair, and fur skin an average of 1852
each-is explained by several predi-
Gates on the part of the companies
having stock for sale One of these is
that Prince Edward Island foxes diff
fer from all others. This does not
comport with official statements,
which show that / ,920 foxes were inn
ported by the fox men of this island
during 1912 and 1913 and that impor-
tstiOns during 1914 were greater than
during those years.
There are few ranches, belonging
more frequently to individuals than
to stock companies. that have been
carefully guarded from intermiNture
of any but silver black foxes for Is
generations. These might well lay
claim to superior strain of foxes,
which would be valuable If their fox
es were marked when pups to distin-
guish them from the unguarded st rains
These would generally breed true to
color. In general. however, it can be
stated that Prince Edward Island
foxes are an intermixture of foxes
imported from various sections of the
Yukon, Alberta, Labrador, Ontario.
Saskatchewan Manitoba, Alaska and
elsew here. These importations are SO
recent and are so continuous as to
disprOye any idea that the intermix-
ture has developed peculiar strain.
The idea that the 1000 silver black
foxes on Prince Edward Island repre-
sent q unique ard peculiar strain of
foxes is mythical.
COLD STORAGE.
Recently representatives of the
American Meat Packers Association,
Swift and Company and Morris and
Company, appeared before the House
Committee on Interstate Commerce
at Washington in opposition to the
McKeller bill, proposing federal regu-
lation of cold storage plants, This
bill provides. among other things,
that meat shall not be kept in cold
storage for more than seven months
The representatives of the above in
terests claim that the federal meat H.
spection law fully protects the public
and they oppose the McKeller bill and
other new measures just as they for
merly opposed the inspection bin.
Every stage of legislation affecting
the meat industry has brought on the
opposition of the big packers, and it
has developed that in some instances
a.