The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-03-06
CATTLE SHIPMENTS
CONTINUE LARGE
MONTANA SENDS MORE STOCK
TO MARKET NOW THAN IN
OPEN RANGE DAYS
Secretary of Live Stock Commission,
in Annual Report, Submits Figures
Showing that Cattle in State Are
Increasing.

With the passing of the much Ia
mented open range in Montana, cat
tie shipments from the state have in
creased instead of decreased. The
tremendous herds, dotting the plains
and valleys by the thousands of head
of long horns, white faces and the
rangy, scrub stock attended by the
picturesque cowboy, the chuck wagon
with its chefs joyous call of "come
and get it," the night ranger and
rider, the boy wranglers and the
blood warming scenes of the round
up never produced the pounds OF
beef that the Treasure state is pro-
ducing each year with it's irrigation
bitches, fenced farms, its homestead
ers, Carey act and dry land farmers.
This assertion is supported by figures
compiled by e. A. Phillips, secretary
of the state livestock commission, in
his annual report to Governor Dixon.
The fact that Montana's livestock
production of modern years has out
d~istanced the old days of the range
is not, it is pointed out, an argument
against letting much of Montana's
marginal lands revert to open graz
ing ground nor do production fig
ures alone indicate the prosperity of
an industry for production costs are
the big factor, and it may be that
more profit would be realized from
a thousand head in the old days than
from 1000 now. Also, it is argued,
the vastness of the production may
be the very factor which is dissipat-
ing or has d~issipated the prosperity
that was common in the days of the
cowboy and his great herds, for it
can hardly be commended that over
production is desirable.
1919 Biggest Year .
In 1900 the state shipped 160,055
head of stock to markets outside of
Montana. In 1906, one of the last
years of the open range, the shipment
had grown to 276,722, but 1906 was
an exceptional year. In 1923 the
state shipped a total of 342,687 head.
In the old days the shipments nor
mally ran 100000 head or under but
for Is years under modern conditions
the average has been 225, 900, reach
ing the enormous total of 641,337 in
1919, when a distrous drought forced
cattle men of the Treasure state to
drive or ship their stock to Wyoming,
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas or other
states in order to obtain feed.
In 1918, a drought forerunner, the
reached 406,415, which
was helped by the wartime demand.
The shipment of 342,687 of last
year is to a great extent a reflection
If financial conditions, livestock
growers being forced to ship to Ii
luidate obligations and to repay bank
oans. +,
From 1920 to the year just pass ,
ID, shipments have been as follows: !
800, 211,242; 1921, 1~47,413; 1922,
'46,378; 1923 342,687.
Chicago Gets Most Cattle h
The eastern primary markets take
he great bulk of the shipments from "
I%ontana, consuming 265, 1865 head of 1
he cattle shipped last year. The L
larkets, in the order of shipments
re: Chicago, 1887 head; Omaha,
940; st. Paul, BOLTS; Sioux City
6,S44; Kansas City, SIS. At these
larkets the state livestock commits a
ion maintains an inspector. Ship
tents to Los Angeles, Denver, Spok-
ne, Portland, Seattle and elsewhere
inspected in transit, the total
umber of such interstate shipments II
1882.
There we're 1929 brands recorded
1923 of which about half we're
ew brands and the others old brands
'ansferred or assigned.
In the shipments inspected last
there was found a total of 1884
,trays selling for $295,564.15 and
IT which owners were found for /,
061, or $271,045.36 worth, leaving :
le proceeds from 773 head, worth /,
24,518.79, to the livestock fund. !
A total of $20,422.87 was paid out ,
the bounty fund last year, of which !
.L3,421.30 vas bounty on predatory !
FINALS and $5,421.84 was for sal :
les of animal hunters. 1
Objections to Bounty
Payment of bounties expired May OK
last year, in accordance with the M
t of the legislature which did away tn
til the payment of bounties in ia M,
r of the hiring of professional hunt -;
s. 1t is the opinion of Secretary VI
that over a period of years nc
many predatory animals will be ST.
lied by the hunter system as by the ad
unity system. err
The objection to the bounty system fet
re that Montana is surrounded on ed
rec sides by %non-bounty paying an
ties, North Dakota, Wyoming and
provinces, with the result that tic
len this state paid a bounty the thu
tie funds were drawn on to pay for in;
imals killed outside the states to
tn;
Intra-state shipments of Montana tin
tile for 1923 totaled 32,913, ac- tie
riding to the figures of the secre- me
of the state commission. ma
Recording of brands Melted the
tie $7,058. me
ao1