The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-05-15
MONTANA MEN i
SHEEP In ALASKA
PENWELL AND ASSOCIATES TO
RUN LARGE BANDS ON THE
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
Climate Said to be Ideal for Ia
Woolies and Million Head Can Be
Accommodated There; PenweH
Explains His Plan.


tian Islands off the Alaska PENN
suIa, according to an
ment made by MIR. Penwell. Mr..
Penwell and his associates have al
ready attempted such a venture,
and put 1000 sheep on the islands
last year. They will take 5000
head there the coming August, and
as many more as they can finance
before the year is out.
The sheep are on the two islands
of Unalaska, where the aviators on
the round-the-world flight, landed,
and spent two or three days. Every
test made of the feasibility of run
ming sheep on the Aleutian islands
indicates that the place is ideal for
these animals.
Contrary to the general impress
sion,' Mr.. Penwell said, there is a
relatively low latitude there. The
latitude is parallel of the latitude
that goes just north of Vancouver
Island, and is exactly the same lati-
tude as London. This condition, with
the Japanese current, keeping the
islands almost entirely free from
snow, makes the outlook extremely
bright for the successful raising of
sheep. The snow never lies longer
than a few days, and they never
have as low a temperature as the
s~heep-raising states of the north
west"
1--WE could put 100000 sheep on
the islands," Mr.. Penwell continued,
"and it is not necessary to make the
usual winter preparations for their
care. They can Craze the yea round.
Our experience on islands off the
coast of California has taught us that
the raising of sheep on these islands
is less expensive than on the main
land. The cost off the California
coast has been $1.00 to $3.50 per
head per year, as against $500 to
$500 on the mainland. From the
Aleutian Islands we can move wool
by boat to oBston, through the canal,
for $1.50 per hundred pounds, as
against $2.25 from Montana by rail-"
Foot and Mouth Disease
Mr.. Penwell told of the foot and
mouth disease in California. He
said that the removing of the ban
in some parts did not mean that
conditions were any better, but that
they are more hopeful, as the federal
government has taken absolute
charge of the battle against the dis
ease.
The government forces have con-
centrated their efforts to the quaran-
tined areas. The disease has hurt the
cattle industry more than it has the
sheep industry, Mr.. Penwell said.
There have been $4,000 sheep killed
in California, in an effort to stamp
out the disease. People of the state
are badly frightened on account of
the plague, the Helena man said. but
the governments vigorous action is
expected to bring about a favorable
change in the near future. p,
Shortage of Wool !,
Mr.. Penwell has recently gone
thoroughly into the matter of wool :
production and the outlook for the ;
industry, and declares that there is }
at present a shortage of wool :
throughout the world. =
On this subject, he saaid:
"There is a world shortage of :
wool. At the beginning of the war. !
the manufacture of wool for civilian 1
use was curtaiIed. The result was !
that Notwithstanding the huge con- 4
sumption of wool for war imposes, Y
at the end of the war there was a 4
very substantial surplus. Of course, \
Immediately after the close of the 4
war, consumption Of wool for civil \
use was resumed. 1
For the past five years there has h
been used in the whole world each I
year some two hundred and fifty 4
pounds more wool than has h
)een produced each year.
tGTbof fbio avoaco 30 -v0oT 800 ~
,ver the wool produced is growing, 4
S evidenced by the fact that the 3
world consumption of wool in 1923 3
three billion three hundred mil N
ion pounds; the total production was q
wo billion eight hundred million B
'ounds, or a world shortage last year Y
# five hundred million pounds. 4
'"The reason for this shortage is b
erfectly apparent. The big ranches II
nth free ranges in America, South q
Lmerica aand South Africa, are be- 8
ng settled up by farmers. The con- q
equence of course is that while for B
lerly the range was mostly free, y
here now of necessity must be an y
Investment in land much greater Ii
han the investment in livestock. 3
he result of all this is that it now q
equires from 81 to $3.50 a head to n
I'm sheep a year, where formerly q
en- or twelve years ago, it could be u
one for one dollar a head a year. q
his is such a burden on the indus 3
ry that it is only the most favored a
ocations that the business can be 3
Maintained and still pay these excess n
i've expenses. Generally, for this A
eason, many wool growers are fore B
d out of the business, hence the b
hortage in sheep and wool produc-
on. b
ITO illustrate: in 1910, Montana y
reduced forty million pounds of IS
Tool. In 1923 it produced fifteen h
lillion and most of the western "
.ates have had a similar experience. q
ut is estimated there are eighty 8
our million less sheep in the world b
)day than in 1913. b
''This shortage of wool exists not n
outstanding the fact that a large b
art of Europe and practically all of b
,usSia have been out of the market H.