The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-07-01
CLAY DISCUSSES
RANGE CONDITIONS
WE'LL KNOWN COMMISSION MAN
TELLS OF LOSSES OF THE
PAST WINTER
West Confronted With Number of Sc
rious Conditions at Present, but
Its Physical Condition Is Excellent
and Speedy Recovery From Hard
Time is Expected.

John Clay, of Clay, Robinson &
Co., the Oldest livestock commission
house in America, has been in init
mate touch with western range con
ditions for 40 years, and is a shrewd
observer of all matters pertaining to
the live stock business. A recent
issue of Clay, Robinson & Co.'s Live
Stock Report contains the following
interesting summary of present con-
ditions in the Rocky Mountain area:
Conditions in Wyoming and Mon
tana from the standpoint of the live
stock men, r very bad. In Idaho
and Utah, while not so bad as in Mon
tana and Wyoming, they are below
the average. Losses in cattle in Wy
oming and Montana during the past
winter have averaged from 10 to rs
per cent and the sheep losses are on
the average of from 10 to II per
cent. The losses in Idaho and Utah
are not so great but the cost of car
rying the herds through the winter
of 1920 has been enormous. 1t has
cost on the average probably $50 per
head to carry cattle through the win
ter and from SIS to Sc a head on
sheep. In all my forty years exper-
fence, until this year l have never
seer the country without a few
stacks of hay at the end of the sea-
son.
ga very serious condition exists in
the west with regard to wool. No
wool is moving and it is the money
from the wool that keeps things go
ing through the summer. This con-
dition is due to the great contraction
of credit going on throughout the
United States. Unless some relief is
obtained this will create a very Sc
rious situation all over the west. All
we can do is to hope that either
through the federal reserve banks
or through some other agency we
may be able to get a fair amount adj
vanced on western wool.
"The contraction of credit that
exists throughout the country is
brought about in my judgment: first,
by the extravaganza of the govern
ment in Washington. The govern
ment's expenditures r far in eX-
cess of it's income and until this stu
alton changes the government will
use all of the cash it needs and which
it is able to commander through the
federal reserve banks.
Second, the railroads are unable
to carry on the business of the coun-
try. Through legislation prior to the
war and through the acts of the In
terstate Commerce Commission, the
railroads are unable to keep up with
the times or productive expansion of
the country. The situation went
from bad to worse through the war,
until now, like a starved child, the
railroads are unable to perform what
is expected of them.
"Third, the general want of con-
fidence that is running through the
whole business community. Except
that there is a decided change for
the better we will be in for a period
of poor business.
'The physical condition of the
west is good. Crops are in good shape
and a speedy recovery from the hard
may result. One factor that
contributes to the difficulty in the
west is the shortage of farm labor.
A sheepherder, at 800 per month
plus his food does not agree with 40
cent WOOL"