Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1921-02-18

| which have continued as costly and de- structive to both industries. I made trip to Chicago for this purpose and found the men engaged in the pack ing business not only willing but very desirous to effect a close cooperation and understanding between the two industries.
 Railroad Rates
 "Early in the year the railroads were returned to their owners by the government upon basis of law and it's arbitrary interpretation by the in- terstate commerce commission that has inflicted gross injustice on the cattle interests of the country. The increase in rates has contributed in no little way to the appalling condition of the cattle business today. They are far out of line with the value of commodities and have had the ten dency to localize products as a result of the present disparity between freight rates and the value of com modities. Unlike the practice enjoyed in most every other industry, the cat tlemen have the direct burden on the expense of shipping and can not pass it on to the consumer. Nothing to- day is more economically unbalanced than the proportionate share of the shipping cost bears to the present marketing value of the live stock con- signed-in one case I have in mind 75 per cent of the gross receipts was spent in shipping costs-and that in itself is the explanation of the pres ent inequality of consideration accord ed the two elements today.
 "It was once thought or said that political parties followed in the path of tariff policies. As in many thoughts and activities ,the great world war has wrought amazing changes and with the resultant up- heaval in industry our ideas of tar ifs have changed. The present situ- ation, it is agreed by all, calls for the abandonment of sectional lines and the support of constructive policy of sound protection which shall in- clude such protection of producers as will enable them to market their pro ducts at a profit and to successfully meet the handicap of low foreign labor costs combined with present rates of exchange.
 "Since the organization a year and half ago in Salt Lake City of the 13 western states advocating federal reg ulation of the public domain, the gov- ernment has changed its policy in re- gard to the 640-acre grazing home stead to the extent that with the pos sible exception of Arizona, most of the public domain is being taken up in 64O-acre tracts as grazing homesteads The government has placed more liberal interpretation upon the re- quirements of such homesteading. From the fact that Arizona is prac- tically the only state where but little of the land will be applicable under the 640-acre grazing law, we should, in my judgment, insist that a thorough be made of all lands in the state and that such lands not susceptible of homesteading or farm ing, should be sold to the cattle and sheep men in tracts large enough on which stock may be run economically and successfully and under terms such IS not to be burdensome to the busi- less of stock raising"
 Committee Appointed
 President Mullen then took up the of the state land prob em; the difficulties in the way of live tock sanitary board; an examination # the relations existing between the |, attlemen and sheepmen; taxes; wild 'nimals and rodents, and miscellan- ous items. In ending his address he 'ledged his whole effort to the well are of the association.
 DOESN'T CARE
 T0 IFAVE H0A[E