The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-03-22
IMP PRESS|ONs Of
PARADISE VALLEY


A trip to Paradise Valley, one of
the largest and most prosperous
ranching and stock-raising communi-
ties of this county, or in the state
for that matter, brings forth the
conclusion that the forces of opti-
mism and pessimism sway the opin-
ions of people residing there much
in the same manner as elsewhere.
The cattlemen are watching the ex-
penditure of every penny, because
of partially fictious or real serious
situation they confront in all eco
nomic and business sense, while the
sheep men are busy explaining their
alibi for high wool prices, which
they claim do not even them up for
the bad years which have preceded.
The rancher is in somewhat of a
conflicting frame of mind, for he
really doesn't know what to expect.
He looks at a meagre but perhaps
sufficient blanket of snow on the
hills surrounding and realizes he is
but the victim of the elements, and
that if it should happen that it is
wi.led that there be warm days in
the immediate future that snow will
melt and the resulting irrigating
water will flow away before he has
had opportunity to use 1t. On the
other hand, If the days and nights
remain cool until irrigating time
the water will pour forth from the
hills in the guise Of blessing. The
mining man views matters entirely
optimistically and only champs at
the bit which holds him from ac-
tivity. He hopes that the snow will
melt quickly in the hills, SO that he
may hasten his work-that the snow
may melt rapidly so that the roads
may become hard and enable him to
transport heavy truckloads of ma
terial to the higher places, necessary
to the active prosecution of de-
velopment work and mill building
Summed up conditions right now are
not particularly good, but have been
much worse. The future, if things
go right, is pleasant to speculate
about and seems to be bound to be
prosperous.
In the case of the cattle men, the
market for beef is not as high as
they might wish it to be. They have
to watch expenditures and they feel
1t their duty to protest against whak
to them seems unfair and unreason-
ably high taxation. The labor prob
lem is bad, but not nearly so diff
cult of solution as that faced in
other lines of business endeavor.
On the other hand, the cattle men
are fortunate here, as compared to
their brethren in other portions of
this and other counties, for they all
seem to have an inexhaustible
source of credit, even though at
times they may recognize the neces-
sity for economy verging upon self
denial of ordinary luxuries. With
the cattlemen it seems to be a wait
ing game, to hold on and on until
the change for the better shall come,
when chances are even that they
will make up in profits all that they
have sacrificed.
The sheep man of course feels
good concerning wool, and hopes
that the price may reach forty-fve
cents per pound. If it does it will
mean that he can pay current bills
for the year, knock off some of the
dead horse" debt accumulated dur
ing the last three years, and at lamb
selling time this fall will be en-
abled to say. prosperity is with him.
He would prefer, however, that a
permanent, government-fxed price
of say thirty-five cents per pound
be established for wool so that he
may not be placed in the position of
the gambler, prosperous today and
pauper tomorrow. The wool man has
had his troubles. Prices of every
thing he has to buy are by no means
low, and this phase alone has great
ly increased his cost of production
over that prevailing a few years
ago. His labor situation is ex-
tremely difficult, with herders de-
manding, and getting, more than
double the amount received several