The Lamar register., 1921-03-23
WASHINGTON NOTES
Wool Tangles.

washington, Mafcn ZE.-N NSpeclal
correspondence)- The manner in
which the Democratic Administration
lost no opportunity to give the farm
ers the worst of every deal is illustrat-
ed in the testimony that was taken re-
Gently before the House Committee on
Agriculture relative to the taking
over of the wool crop by the Govern
ment during the war. According to
the testimony of Honorable C. b. Huds-
peth, u Democratic Representative
from Texas. the wool administration,
under authority of the President, COM
mandeered the. wool crop, fixed the
price, determined the AMOUNT of
shrinkage due to dirt and grease, and
shipped the wool by the most expen-
sive method, charging the transporta-
tion to the farmers.
Some of the Texas wool growers
had organized an association which
concentrated some 100000 pounds or
more of Texas wool. The organizers
were experienced ranchmen who were
as good judges of wool as any one in
the country Instead of accepting or
even considering the judgment of the
men who produced the wool and who
had been producing wool in that sec
ton Of the country for years, Boston
wool buyers were selected to deter
mine the amount of shrinkage to which
the wool should be subjected in de-
termining the price to be paid. The
accuracy of their judgment is illustrat-
ed by one instance cited by Congress-
man Hudspeth. II seems that two
brothers were in partnership in the
ownership OF flock of sheep, all Of
the sheep being herded together in
the same pastures and all sheared at
the same time. After the shearing
there was a division of the wool and
the two brothers delivered their wool
separately. The Boston wool buyers
fixed price of 8 cents per pound
more on one-half Of the wool than
they did on the other, evidently not
being aware OF the fact that it all
came from the same flock Of sheep.
As further evidence in support of
their contention that the administra-
tion treated them wrongly in estimat-
ing the amount Of shrinkage of the
wool the producers had some Of its
secured and the shrinkage was 10
per cent less than what the Committee
had estimated. In other words, the
Committee employed by the Admins
tration to estimate the shrinkage of
wool were depriving the farmers of
10 per cent Of the price they ought to
receive.
1t was also shown by the testimony
that at the time the Administration
declared its intention of commander
ing the wool it promised to give the
wool growers the benefit of the water
freight rate from Texas to New Eng
land, but when the wool was ready
for shipment, in order to expedite de-
livery, the wool was sent by rail and
the compensation of the farmers bas-
ed upon the railroad freight instead
of the ocean shipping rate.
The wool growers are now endeav-
oring to secure reimbursement on ac-
count of the unjust determinations
against them but are handicapped in
their effort by the fact that they are
practically bankrupt from last years
operations, the price of wool having
dropped enormously after they had
produced the clip at wartime costs.
They are now unable to come person
ally or send Committees to Washing
ton to present their claims.
Troy IN. " Times.-Mr. Mellon,
the new Secretary of the Treasury,
starts out well by declaring for the
utmost economy in government expen-
diture and for budget system in the
interest of efficiency.
Sweet Concord Everywhere
A resumption Of the Saturday af-
ternoon concerts in the White House
grounds by the marine band is part
of the plan of President Harding to
return to the former days of democ-