452 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



much would it lower the cost of clothing? It is plain we will have to 

 look for other causes than the increase in the price of raw materials to 

 justify present prices of woolen clothing. 



Very early in the conduct of the war the government recognized the 

 importance of wool in the proper equipment of the army. The complete 

 output of wool in the country was taken over and the price fixed approxi- 

 mately 331,^ per cent above pre-war prices. Cotton, meanwhile the tex- 

 tile that competes with wool in the manufacture of goods, was left to re- 

 spond to the law of supply and demand, and it would be safe to say that 

 it increased 300 per cent in price. 



But we are content with the price, and we are also satisfied with the 

 regulations governing the marketing of wool that were imposed during 

 the war. The wool administrator, Mr. Louis Penwell, a sheep grower 

 from Montana, is a fair man and of broad vision. The plan of marketing 

 as mapped out by Mr. Penwell and his assistant was correct, provided each 

 clip was shipped to a centrally located point and properly graded so that 

 the producer would receive values according to grade. 



In some instances this plan miscarried, due to the inability of the gov- 

 ernment to secure competent men to do the grading. Competent wool 

 graders, it seems, are scarce. At least we found it so this last summer 

 when grading our own wool. 



During the International, Mr. Penwell met with the sheep men and 

 suggested that the sheep industry was not securing proper recognition at 

 the hands of the War Industries Board. He advised organization as the 

 best means of protecting our interests. Following Mr. Penwell's sugges- 

 tion a committee was appointed to draft resolutions for presentation to 

 the War Industries Board. The result was that when the armistice was 

 signed the Board was induced to place the 250,000,000 pounds of govern- 

 ment owned wool on the market on the installment plan. 



A little later the sheep men of Iowa met in this city and perfected what 

 is called the Iowa Fleece Wool Growers' Association. About sixty-five 

 men were present, charter members, and the organization was incorpo- 

 rated under the laws of Iowa. Little did we think, at that time, that in 

 a very few months this organization would grow to a membership of 

 3600, controlling and marketing approximately one and a quarter million 

 pounds of wool. 



Those of you unacquainted with the details of marketing fleece wool 

 cannot imagine the task we had undertaken. We had hoped to secure 

 250,000 pounds of wool to market that first year. Instead we had five 

 times that amount. On May 1 we met for the purpose of letting the 

 contract for the sale of the wool, contract to cover grading, storage, mar- 

 keting, insurance during the period of storage, guaranteed selling ac- 

 counts and making advancements on consignments as desired by the 

 association committee. 



A contract was made with the National Wool Warehouse Commission 

 Company of Chicago, a co-operative concern owned and managed by about 

 700 western sheep men. This concern has never bought a pound of wool, 

 and probably never will, being strictly a commission firm. 



