Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1921-12-21
NORTHWEST NEEDS
WOOL MILLS. SAYS
GROWERS HEAD
(From Thursdays Daily

north of Ashland, and who is one
of the leading sheep breeders OF
Southern Oregon, spent last week
in klamath county signing up new
members for the Oregon Woo
Growers association, of which Mr.
Heron is president. He reports the
Klamathons pretty hard nuts to
crack, because they have had so
many unfortunate experiences in
marketing their wool. They are
nevertheless, able, says Mr.. Heron
to see the advantages of the right
kind of cooperation and severa
signed up the five year marketlnl
agreement,
Mr.. Heron explains that members
of the new association were first OBJ
tanned west Of the Cascade noun
tains, because the sheep men o.
Western Oregon had greater need oI
getting together for mutual hell
and protection. Most wool produc
ers in this part OF the state are gen,
eral farmers, with only small flocks
of sheep, and therefore cannot af.
ford the necessary expense of mar
keting their wool to the best ad-
vantage, which left them at the
mercy of junk dealers or anyone
else who choose to buy their pro-
duct, Big producers east of the
mountains were better able to look
out for their interests and had clip
sufficiently large to attract compet-
ing buyers.
The law required that fifty per
cent of the wool men join the asso-
citation named before Incorporation
Although organization was begun
only last spring, 1925 members have
been secured. The first pool
of 100000 pounds was sold at bet
ter than market prices. A large
was taken by the Portland
Wooden mills at one aud one-half
cents above the Boston market, be-
cause this firm couldn't afford to
wait for shipment from Massachu-
sets, nor to pay freight from that
state.
Oregon sheep men are compelled
to ship their product across the
continent to Boston to find a mar
ket, and then pay freight on It back
again, either in manufactured form
or as raw wool to feed local mills.
ut is to prevent such an intOlerable
of affairs, as well as to CO.
operate in other helpful ways, that
sheep men are organizing" explains
Nj. Heron.
"The climate of the Atlantic coast
Is unsuited to the manufacture Of
wooden goods" asserts Mr. Heron.
Artificial indoor condition must
therefore, be created in order sue
to carry on the industry in
hat part OF the country. The Pa
life Northwest Is an ideal place for
he operation of WOODEN mills. The
after are handicapped, however, by
peculiar situation which exists in
'egard to the wool market.
Boston Is the place where most
VI the wool produced in the United
States is bought and sold. Western
Mills are therefore forced to go to
Boston to buy their raw material
WOOL which has been shipped there
rom Oregon and other western
tates, and not only bear the ex-
,ense of shipping 1t back again, but
,ay dealers profits, storage charges,
tic. When the majority of sheep
men in the west are organized, we
Iope to keep our wool from going
o Boston, and put a stop to our be-
ng forced to pay tribute to the bean
aters of the Bay State. Portland Is
lready the second largest wool mar
.et in the United States"
Mr.. Heron was asked If II were
Ine that shoddy was shipped from
he Balkan states Of Europe by the
ar load and used by Oregon mills
o adulterate WOODEN goods He ad-
nitted that such was the case and
leplored a condition which forces
he people of Oregon to wear cloth
ng made from the cast-ofi rags OF
filthy Turks, as a reward for their
patriotism in patronlzing home In
lustry.
"Our wooden manufacturers say
their machinery is made to handle
shoddy, also that In order to pro
duce low-prlced clothing for poor
they are forced to adulter-
ate with this cheap material. The
law which sheep men are trying to
have enacted for the regulation OF
factories. does not prohibit
he use of shoddy, but merely re-
luires that goods into whose com
position II enters shall be branded
10 the buyer may know Just what he
8 getting. All we insist upon Is
honesty. Our opponents put up the
anne spurious arguments which
we're advanced by oleo manufactur-
RS in fighting the law which forces
hem to sell butter substitutes as
uch. No one objects 20 the manu-
acture and sale OF oleo and shoddy,
o long as the buyer is told Just
that he is getting.