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Show WOOLMEN PLEDGE AID 10 COUNTRY .ENTIRE RESOURCES OF SHEEP AND WOOL-GROWING INDUSTRY INDUS-TRY PLEDGED TO AMERICA. Number of Subjects of Importance to Flockmasters Discussed at National Na-tional Woolgrowers Association Convention at Salt Lake. Salt Luke City. The entire resources re-sources of the sheep and wool-growing Industry of America are pledged to the service of the United Stales government, govern-ment, to the end that the great world war may be won for liberty and justice. jus-tice. This was the keynote of broad patriotism pa-triotism sounded by President Frank J. Hagenbarth in his annual address before the opening session of the tifty-fourth tifty-fourth annual convention of the National Na-tional Woolgrowers' association in this city on January IT. That the wool producers of the T'nited .States are behind the president and the administration for victory is the sentiment that pervaded the convention, con-vention, and the thread that ran through every address by officers and delegates to the convention. President Hagenbarth treated a number of subjects of vital importance to the wool interests of the country, and among rliem three of national import, im-port, including possible action by the government in fixing and controlling the price of wool, the federal food administration ad-ministration meatless day program with relation to consumption of mutton mut-ton and lamb, and operation of the (Hlt-aere homestead law with its relation rela-tion to ihe llockmasters of the western slates. Opposed Government Plan. He voiced for the convention a sentiment sen-timent against the government fixing the'priee of wool unless it first grants hearing to the wool producers on the matter of cost of production before attempting at-tempting to establish a price. Mr. Hagenbarth gave assurance that the wool producers are perfectly willing that the government shall, if war necessity ne-cessity requires, fix a price and establish estab-lish control over the price of wool, but declared that the woolman only asks the consideration of being heard on the subject of cost of production before be-fore such action was taken. The wool producers, lie said, did not want the government to fix a price on wool upon advices and restrictions of middlemen and dealers, who know nothing of production. pro-duction. In relation to the government's meatless day program, the president of tlie association called attention to its effect upon the consumption of mutton and lamb and urged that there should be a change in this program which would relieve the restriction upon this class of meat. He pointed out that no mutton or lamb is exported export-ed for military use and that the exportation ex-portation of lamb products from this country is practically nothing. Referring Refer-ring to the general impression which went out over the country that there was n government bar upon the consumption con-sumption of lambs even outside of the meatless day restriction, President Hagenbarth noted that this misunderstanding misunder-standing of food regulations had resulted re-sulted in serious loss to the producer of fed lambs. He urged that the government gov-ernment food administration should lake prompt and effective measures to counteract this serious idea, and to secure se-cure and encourage greater consumption consump-tion of fed lambs, to relieve the present pres-ent condition and as a means of further fur-ther conserving pork and beef products. prod-ucts. The Homestead Law. Lff'cct of the GiU-aci'e homestead law upon the sheep growers was treated at considerable length by the president presi-dent of the association. He saw in Ibis law ami its operation the ultimate destruction o" the sheep ami wool industry in-dustry in the western states where this law is effective and urged the necessity ne-cessity for government action suspending suspend-ing 1 1 io operation of this measure, at least during the period of the war. The lif ty-fourth annual convention opened Willi an attendance of more than 1000 delegates and visitors. Swift Is Speaker. Louis F. Swift, head of the Swift packing interests in Chicago, was one of the speakers of national importance wlio addressed the convention, urging the necessity for co-operation in every way possible between the producers and the packers in the matter of meat , food conservation and increase to meet the demands of the war conditions. Joseph I. Cotton of the meat division di-vision of the federal food administration administra-tion also addressed the convention, emphasizing the necessity for conserving conserv-ing the country's meat supply. lr. John It. Mohler, chief of the bureau of animal industry of the government, told the convention of the work being done by the federal bureau in its effort ef-fort to aid the sheepmen in the mailer of increasing the production of sheep and wool. At the Friday session of the National Na-tional Woolgrowers' association, sT'.OOO I was raised for the American lted Cross ' by the sale on the convention floor of a blooded ram donated for this purpose pur-pose by the Wyoming Woolgrowers' as-social as-social ion. In addition, ten' rams were donated to the livestock organization by the State Woolgrowers' association for i sale at the ram show in Salt Lake next fall, (lie proceeds of the sale to be turned over to the Ited Cross. Among the most important of the resolution was one protesting against the use of "shoddy" in the manufacture manufac-ture of clothing for the military forces of the United States; another was a resolution asking that the meatless day ban upon mutton and lamb be removed at least temporarily, and that the food administration encourage increased consumption of this form of meat food as a means of conserving a pork and beef supply. A resolution was presented calling upon the national government to suspend sus-pend the operation of the GJO-acre homestead law, at least during the period pe-riod of the war. One of the most important im-portant resolutions to the wool producers pro-ducers was one protesting against the government fixing a price on wool and inaugurating government control of wool price unless the producer is first given a hearing on the matter of cost and production. The election of officers resulted in the retention of present officials of the national association, including President Frank J. Hagenbarth of Salt Lake; A. J. Knolin of Kansas City as second vice-president; JI. I. Powers of Flagstaff. Ariz., as assistant vice-president ; F. 1). Miracle of Helena. Mont., as treasurer, and Dr. S. W. McCIure of Salt Lake as secretary. Addresses were made at the afternoon after-noon session by Mayor Ferry, Will C. Barnes of Washington, I. C, of the United States forest service, on "Our National Forests;'' J. It. Kdgheill of Salt Lake, chairman of the committee which investigated grazing possibilities in the southern states; W. S. Avers of Chicago, chief of the industrial department depart-ment of the New OfHans it Great Northern railway, and A. G. liutlerlield of Weiser, Idaho, on "Silage and Its Value for Sheep." Interesting history of the sporadic and as yet unsuccessful efforts to establish es-tablish a sheep and wool-growing industry in-dustry in Japan was related in an address ad-dress by Ir. Issa Taniinura, Tokio, Japan, commissioner of livestock for the Japanese government. Dr. Taniinura Tani-inura spoke on the subject of wool-growing wool-growing in the Orient. W. G. P.issel, president of the Wisconsin Wis-consin Advance association, told of the visit to Wisconsin last fall of President Frank J. Hagenbarth of the National Woolgrowers' association. At that time a sheep and wool company was organized with a capital of $200,000. This now has a foundation of fit MX) breeding ewes, and four oiher corporations corpo-rations are organized for similar work. P. A. Delfelder of Iiiverton, Wyo., spoke of the necessity of providing funds for the use of the biological survey sur-vey in the eradication of predatory animals, advocating that a tax of $1 per head be placed on every dog in the country, of which, lie said, there are 10.0OO.0O0. President A. K. Sessoms of the Georgia Landowners' association said that he represented an organization of more than 10OU men, owning several million acres of idle land in Georgia. Federal activity in the extermination of predatory animals was the subject of an address by 10. W. Nelson, chief of the biological survey, of Washing ton. D. (A The animal losses in livestock live-stock in the United States attributed to wild animals and rodents, he said, amount to more than i?20.t)0.tHK). The bounty system, he declared, lias proved a failure in eliminating losses to livestock. live-stock. Montana lias paid more than S2,()00.000 in an effort to eradicate predatory animals from the ranges and is still suffering heavy losses, he said. Bringing intelligently before the convention con-vention the necessity of improving Ihe strains and of paying more attention to the' quality of wool produced, Professor Pro-fessor F. It. Marshall of the bureau of animal industry, Washington, I . ('., win) is familiar with the work' and results re-sults of ihe experimental siatioti at Laramie, Wyo., spoke on "the subject of "Government Sheep Breeding Lxpori-ments." Lxpori-ments." organization of sheep raising as a war industry, with government aid and for the support of the government, was the keynote of resolutions adopted at the closing session of the lift.v-l'ourth annual convention of the National Woolgrowers' assncia t ion. The opening of national parks for grazing during the period of the war; absolute disapproval of contracting for wool ni'evioiis lo shearing; condemna tion of the use of substitutes for wool in soldiers' and sailors' equipment; government aid by experiments in grazing in different sections and Ihe utilization of isolated tracts of laud; and publicity to the statement that no abstinence from mutton anil Iamb is asked otherwise than on meatless clays, were among Ihe important resolutions adopted by the convention. Appropriation by congress of at least $1 .000. 000 for the extermination of poisonous plants; a federal war tax on dogs, the funds of which to be combined com-bined with appropriations from each slate for the elimination of slock killing kill-ing dogs and predatory animals; more restricted use of grazing permits in national forests, and Ihe plea for spe cial atlonlion on the part of the packers pack-ers and retailers to devise ways and means of making more suitable cuts of meals were outlined In the resolu-I resolu-I tious. |