Plentywood herald., 1928-02-03
(By Our Helena Correspondent

(By Our Helena Correspondent
Improvement I'm the banking sltua-
tion in Montana during 1927 is noted
In report made by A. j. Iochrie,
superintendent of Montana state and
private banks. Total resources of the
1872 state banks and two private banks
showed a net gain of S6.655.477.i5 on
December 81, 1927, over the 1926 re-
sources.
Resources of the banks at the close OF
1926 were $50. .292, SGT As, and at the close
of last year, s92, ,947. .9749o. a net gain of
S6.655. .47745.
Deposits at the close OF 1926 amounted
to $40, 4a3. 1875. and those at the close
of 1927. $83 .389. .374.1e. an increase of
s6906, 176.43.
THE banking situation in Montana
during the last year has been most graft
flying" Mr.. Lochrie said. There is every
promise OF continued betterment in 1923.
Such Improvement is credited to the ef-
forts and splendid cooperation OF the
banks OF the state, In what has been q
determination on their part to make all
banks in Montana sound and secure"
Deputy Attorney General c. N. David
son has left for Washington. D. c., where
he Will represent the state before the
United States supreme court in the ap-
peal of the Montana National bank of
Billings OF its suit against Yellowstone
county and the state of Montana
The Billings bank contends that dis
elimination exists In state taxes because
no deductions are made to national
banks for investments in tax exempt Sc
curities whereas the deductions are made
for state banks.
The appeal is from a decision of the
state supreme court
Announcement was made here that
rates on sugar over the Northern Pacific
and Great Northern railroads will be ar
gued Feb. before the state railroad
commission on application of each road
to establish new schedule from factory
cities TO points within the state.
| Montana has 6,730.447 acres of surveyed
and 2l2,000 acres of unsurveyed public
land vacant. unappropriated and unre-
served, j. Scott Harrison. district en-
gineer. announced. There were 1,066
Two test cases, brought in district
court here to determine whether and to
what extent state lands may be taxed.
were decided in favor of the state. The
action in the district court was merely
preliminary to appeal TO the state SUI
preme court. The state claims the coun-
ty can neither tax its equity in lands
acquired by foreclosure or to lands sold
under an installment payment plan.
Returns to the sheep industry in Mon
tana, due to smaller 1927 marketings and
lower value of the wool clip, will not
quite measure up to returns in 1926. Re-
turns from the 1927 wool clip will give
growers s6.671 900, as compared with
SO .855 600 in 1926. while returns from
l.f.. -
1927 crop year, will give S12, ,725 900 as
compared with Sl4,5e0000 in 1926. Total
returns to the industry in 1927 will ag-
gregate 19,486,000 as against S23, ,455 ,00C
in 1926, state and federal department OF
agriculture estimates indicate.
June to December output Of sheep is
estimated at 1.326000 head, with 151.0 .00C
head expected movement of the balance
of the crop year. making total of L.
ATT, 900 head In 1926. the output, June
to December was 1,514,000 head and the
January to May output $4,000 head to-
falling, for the year, 1,697,000 head.
In 1925, the June to December output
was 807 900 head, with 100000 head fol
: the January to May output totaling, tol
the year, 947 900 head. The number OF
, lambs in the 1927 output is estimated al
1921 063 900 as compared with 1,188,00(
in 1926, and 663 900 in 1925. The tota
lamb crop in 1927 was estimated at L.
462 900 as compared with 100000 IL
1926, and l.577000 in 1925. The decrease
in the 1927 lamb crop, as compared with
that in 1925 came about largely as re-
suit of unfavorable weather conditions
, during the 1927 lambing season
Prices for both lambs and old sseeI
marketed in 1927 have been averaging
the same or a shade lower than prices
for the 1926 sales, but were below th'
1925 prices in case Of lambs and slight
ly higher in case of old ewes.