The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC .. HAsKIN. Director.
Waehinsfon, d. C.
OUR THREATENED SHEEP
Washington, d. c.

INDUSTRY.
Washington, d. c., Jan. 21.-What
threatens this country today, as a re-
buyers at any price, is damage to tbs
iwool-growing industry in the United
States which it would take many years
ito repair.
This point was brought out by D
A. Spencer Of the bureau of animal
industry here, who has charge of the
government work in improving breeds
CT sheep.
Wool prices have been Unfortunately
high for several years. Now at last
price of clothing down with them.
| Let them stay down." you are In
clined to say. THE wool-groWers have
had several good years. They should
now be able to weather little adj
tversity."
| The answer to this seems to be that
Ithey are not able to weather the period
of adversely which they now must face,
without substantialrhelp of some kind
The wool-grower. according to gov
eminent men, did not make large
profits during the war. In fact, the
grower of any commodity in this coun-
try seldom. makes large profits, unless
he is also broker or dealer of some
kind. 1t is the nature of the industrial
system that the largest profits are
made by distributors, not producers.
Thus wool before the war was
bringing the producer about 80 cents
a pound. During the war it brought
him 65 cents for the same grade. But
at the same time the wages he had to
ipay to herders, the price of feeds, and
all the other expenses doubled or more
than doubled. Most of the growers
s-Ix frx.f
years. A few of the large operators
lperhaps made big money. Some grow
ers, by reason of unfavorable weather
conditions, lost money. But whatever
may have happened to fortunate or
unfortunate, individuals, the wool
growers as class did not make more
than a fair percentage on their invest
ments.
| A Dead Market.
Then came the drop in the price of
| wool. Wool is now hard to sell at
any price, and 25 cents a pound is
| considered a good price. But the
wool-grower can scarcely produce
his expenses of production were at a
wartime level. In addition to that.
in many sections he faced unfavorable
weather conditions. Now his wool
clip for the year cannot be sold at
anywhere near what, 1t cost him to
Il,
! the same time, he has not money
enough to stay out of the market until
conditions improve.
t. Especially is this true when you
consider how uncertain it is when con-
! ditions will improve. It is said that
there is enough wool in this country
now to supply all of our needs for
nearly two years. And, with wool on
| the free list, more wool is pouring
into the country all the time. In Aus
| tralia, in the Argentine, in South
Africa, there are enormous quantities
of wool which seek a market in this
country Because Europe has not
money enough to buy it. Wool can
| perhaps be produced somewhat more
cheaply in those countries than in
this, but primarily. the flow of foreign
wool to this country is due to condi-
tions created by the war-to the inn
poverishment of Europe and to the
rate of exchange.
For example, American buyers can
now buy wool in New Zealand for
| exchange is such that about 20 cents
in American money will buy pound
of wool in New Zealand. Hence
American buyers are buying the New
Zealand wool and storing it against
the rise of price which must event.
ually come, And the American wool
grower cannot produce wool at 70
pound, much less sell it for that.
Sheep Men Quit.
What Is the result? The result is
that sheep men are going out of the
sheep business, that we are being put
in the way of becoming dependent
upon importations for our wool.
Before the war, the sheep industry
in this country faced difficulties.
Western range areas were being cut
down by the taking up of homesteads
for farming. The wool industry faced
a change. 1t was evident that sheep
had to be raised on smaller areas of
range. and had to be given more fod-
der. In order to make this pay, the
breeds had to be improved, so that
each sheep would produce more wool,
and so pay for his keep. This process
was going forward nicely before and
during the war. Sheep men who made
a little more money than usual were
investing it in pure blooded rams to
improve their stock. At the govern
ment sheep experiment station at Du-
bois, Idaho, experiments were being
conducted in the production of a type
of sheep which should combine as far
as possible the hardihood of the ma
tive stock with the wool-producing
qualities of the pure-bred sheep. Some
success had been attained along that
line, and the more enterprising sheep
men were following the government
lead.
Now all of this slow and careful
work toward putting the American
wool-growing industry on a perma-
nent and scientific basis is being rap
idly undone. Sheep men are sending
their sheep blooded and otherwise, to
the slaughter house. Most of them
can do nothing else. They have got
to quit raising sheep and raise. some
thing else, or take jobs. One man re-
Gently sold his herd of 1000 sheep.
He had no choice. He could not sell
his wool He could not stay in the
sheep business and continue to eat. So
he sold his sheep for about S2.10 a
head. When all expenses had been
paid. he had about 35 cents head for
his sheep This was not profit. 1t was
his net return on sheep which it had
cost him nine or ten dollars a head
to raise. He was a ruined man.
Sheep Being Slaughtered.
And not only little herds like this
one, but large herds of 10000 and
] 900 sheep are being wiped out of
existence IF is this ia cf which cnrcfi i