The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-01-26
They Compelled
Many Foolish Things Done People Enter
SHEEP INDUSTRY IN BAD WAY
Wool Growers Unable TO Weather
Period OF Adversely.

! Washington, D. c., Jan. 23.-Wha'
threatens this country today as a re
suit of the low price Of wool and few
buyers at any price, Is damage to the
wool-growlng industry in the United
States which 1t would take many years
to repair.
This point was brought out by D A.
Spencer Of the Bureau OF Animal In
dustry here who has charge of the gov
ernment work IN improving breeds OF
sheep.
Wool prices have been inordinar y
high for several years. Now at last
they have come down, forcing the price
Of clothing down with them.
Let them stay down, you are In
cllned to say "The woolgrowers have
had several good years. They ahould
now be able to weather little adver
sity"
The answer to this seems to be that
they are not able to weather the period
of adversely which they now must face,
without substantial help Of some kind.
The wool-groWers according to gov
ernm mt men, d not make large pro
fits during the war. In fact, the grow
or of any commodity in this country
seldom makes arge profits unles he
is also a broker or dealer of some kind.
II is the nature OF the industrial sys-
tenn that the largest profits are made
by distributor not producers.
Thus wool before the war was bring
ing the producer about 80 cents a
pound During the war 1t brought him
about G5 cents for the same grade
But at the same time the wages he
had to pay to herders, the price Of
feeds, and al the other expenses dou.
bled or more than doubled Most of
the growers were fairly prosperous for
two or three years. a few of the larg-
er operators perhaps made big money
Some growers. by reason of unfavor.
able weather conditions lost money
But whatever may have happened to
fortunate or unfortunate individuals,
the ool.growers as ass did not
make more than fair percentage on
their investments.
Then came the drop In the price Of
wool Wool is now hard to sell at any
pr ce, and 25 cents a pound is consider
cred a good price. But the wool grow
er can scarcely produce wool at that
figure. All last winter his expenses
of production were at wartime level.
In addition to that. in many sections
no faced ulfayorable weather condi
tions Now his wool clip for the year
cannot be sod at anywhere near what
It cost him to produce it, II 1t can be
sold at all, AT the same time he has
not money enough. to stay out OF the
market until cond tions improve.
For examine American buyers can
now buy wool in New Zealand for 2S
cents mound But the rate Of ex-
charge 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 rtoring Il aga'n-t the rise in
rrce which must eventually come.
And the American wool grower can
not produce woo NJ 2n cents a pound,
much les sell Il for that
What Is the result? The result is
that sheep mon iogerang o onv bngac
that sheen men are going ont of the
hoor business. thot We are helng put
In the way Of becoming dependent upon
impcrtatlons for our wool
And not Only little herds like this
ono hu. large herds Of 10 400 and 90
ono sheen are being wire1 out Of ey-
toncc. II Is this fact which consti'
Hto5 cris's in the American wool
Industry The wool-erower is tho chief
sufferer nut the whole country VIII
suffer- II such q valuable economic rs
sot rs its wool rrowing indu7try is
DAMAGED az badly as now seems in
evitable.
Y is omnha 7i7ei that the question Is
not primarily a question Of tar II The
wool situation is due to various ahnor-
nal conditions which grew ont OF the
war. II Is due 10 over production In
this country to the inability Of Europe
~ hwy wool 20 an abnormal rate Of OK
change. After these abnormal eonii.
ticne have passed il E admitted there
will be no more need for high tariff
on wool than there was before the WAY
The one clear fact is that something
OUGHT to be done for the wool industry
at once What the WOO, industry faces
az Cleveland said, IS a condition and
not a theory. The situation seems to
call. not for a discussion of theories Of
free trade and protcctionsm but for
some prompt emergency action to keep
all the sheep from going to the slaugh
ter house