Montana labor news., 1950-02-02

l.iyingston-Gardiner area are con
l%inuing to cast j~aundiced eyes on the
slaughter OF elk by Yellowstone
Park service officials. Particularly
disturbed are they over the TACT
that their observers report slaughter
has been confined almost entirely TO
COW elk with cali. To them this
"selcctiye' reduction OF the park
herd is nothing more than a subter-
iuge to get around the 500 limit set
by the Department OF lnterior-or-
i'll otherwords, a means OF reducing
the herd by a thousand or more
head.
They are also concerned Y e re-
ported "herdine' action OF the CON
scryationists' which is tending to
keep the elk from leaving the park
lor southern Montana areas. a sus-
picion is growing in their minds that
this move is deliberate. Spokesman
Tor the Rocky Mountain Sportsmcn's
association OF Livingston here pub
licly asserted .. We believe the
plan is 10 cut the herd so low it
won't migrate from the park" Rea-
son for stopping migration, accord
ing to sportsmen, is obyious-livc-
stock men are reluctant to share
even a minor fraction OF the public
domain in Park county with IN OF
the areas greatest tourist attrac-
tons. the stately elk.
That an effective and united eff
fort can be made to stop further
slaughtering of the herd for the
benefit of southern Montana stock
growers, the Upper Yellowstone
Rod & Gun club has called a
meeting to be held in Gardiner,
February 4, at the Eagles Hall.
Purpose Of this meeting, accord
ing To J.. {. Wilson oil Gardiner
Gateway Auto Court, is To have a
full discussion OF the slaughtcring
program. Emphasizing the import
ance OF the meeting and why sports
men in large numbers should at
tend. Mr.. Wilson states further
This meeting may have and play
an important part in the future pol
icy making and action in this mat
ter; therefore, it is the utmost i'm
portancc that all concerned be in at
tendance
Indications are that in connection
with this all important matter Of
preserving what little wild life that
remains, much discussion will also
concern itself with the people be
damned attitude OF the various gov
crnmcnt agencies involved, and how
best TO make those bureaus more re-
sponsive to the wishes OF the people
Of Montana.
Range Conditions Good
Although many wild assertions
have been made that II OF the prime
reasons for reducing the park herd
is lack Of grazing land, such do not
square with the facts. Instead. .
the condition OF the range is good
with the exception OF a few selected
barren knobs. !" which have been
held up as :" seemingly repre-
sentative Of the general range condi-
tons ~" reports W. II. Martin
and William Ball OF the Livingston
Rocky Mountain S%portsmcn.
In an interview with the Living
ston press, Martin and Ball reported
further on range conditions
Last Saturday two representa-
tivcs OF the Rocky Mountain Sports
mems association, in driving from
Pebble Greek beyond the buffalo
ranch to Gardiner, approximately
SO miles through elk country, were
able to count only ga elk. using
field glasses" Martin and Ball said
in a statement today.
"These two men should have
been able to count from 5000 to
5000 elk in the area in which the
slaughter is taking place if the
range were as overpopulated as
the conservationists would have US
believe.
Our scouts report the overall con
dition OF the range as being gooc
with the exception OF a few selected
barren knobs which have never
grown grass and never will OF ia.
vorcd by all the rain and sunshine O
the heavens. These barren spots ar
seemingly taken as representative
Of general range conditions and
pointed out to all the visiting dig
nitaries as SUCH
The association officers said tn
elk being killed (insidc the park
are in prime condition. adding III
so far as the slaughter itself i
concerned the park officials are do
ing a good job OF killing and dres
sing the animals. Our objection