IN WEAK SPOT 



BECAUSE OF 



WOOL GROWERS / large stockpiles 



INCREASED PRODUCTION COSTS 



I 

 PRICE DISPARITY BETWEEN | 



FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC WOOLS 



T ARGE stock piles of foreign wool, 

 ^ the disparity between the price of 

 domestic and foreign wools, and the in- 

 crease in the cost of production with- 

 out a corresponding increase in price 

 put Illinois sheep raisers in a weak spot 

 for post-war adjustments, according to 

 the report of 1945 operations of the 

 Illinois Wool Marketing Association 

 by President William Temple of La- 

 Salle county at the cooperative's annual 

 meeting. 



Reviewing the wool marketing situa- 

 tion for the year ending Sept. 30, Tem- 

 ple pointed out that a combination of 

 factors plus increased activity of coun- 

 try buyers are due to favorable com- 

 missions curtailed operations of the 

 Illinois Wool Marketing Association 

 during the year. 



Wool marketed through the associa- 

 tion during the year amounted to 312,- 

 366 pounds compared to 275,241 

 pounds the previous year. The 10 lead- 

 ing counties in volume handled in the 

 1945 pool in the order named are Ver- 

 milion, Pope-Hardin, Knox, Cham- 

 paign, Morgan, Bureau, La Salle, 

 Henry, Livingston and Adams. 



An added factor in the curtailment 

 of the association's activities was the 

 establishment of ceiling prices and the 

 setting up of the Commodity Credit 

 Corporation as practically the sole 

 buyer of domestic wool. 



Consumption of wool in the United 

 States was 1,200,000,000 pounds in 

 1944 of which 74.1 per cent was of 

 foreign origin. The United Kingdom 

 has stored in the United States 425,- 

 000,000 pounds, over one year's do- 

 mestic production. By Jan. 1, the CCC 

 will have 500,000,000 pounds on hand. 



During the six clip years since the 

 Illinois Wool Marketing Association 

 was organized, approximately 2I/4 mil- 

 lion pounds of wool have been mar- 

 keted through the association. 



An attempt was made to obtain ware- 

 house facilities for the 1943 wool pool 

 but after a thorough investigation in 

 cooperation with the lAA Transporta- 

 tion Department it was determined that 

 ro suitable warehouse facilities were 

 available. 



Consequently wool was assembled 

 through county wool pools in coopera- 

 tion with the county Farm Bureaus 

 which appointed county wool pool 

 managers with the approval of the state 

 organization. The manager received, 

 weighed, made cash advances to grow- 

 ers and stored wool in a safe, dry place 

 until time to ship. 



For this service the state organiza- 

 tion paid one cent per pound. Field 

 advances were made as follows: clear 

 medium, 35c per pound ; fine and fed, 



Pre8. Temple presides at wool marketing 

 meeting. Right is Sam Rusaell 



23c ; and rejects, 20c. These high prices 

 were made possible by the CCC-guar- 

 anteed ceiling prices to growers. 



The wool was assembled in carload 

 lots and shipped direct to Boston to 

 the National Wool Marketing Cor- 

 poration where it is graded by the Na- 

 tional, appraised by the CCC appraisal 

 committee and final settlement made 

 through the state organization to in- 

 dividual growers. 



Earnings to members who have mar- 

 keted their wool through the state or- 

 ganization are now being paid. These 

 patronage earnings go back to the year 

 1932 and will be brought up to date 

 as soon as possible. These patronage 

 refunds represent earnings of the Na- 

 tional Wool Marketing Corporation of 

 which the Illinois Wool Marketing As- 

 sociation is a member, and have been 

 held up until the National obtained 

 paid-in capital stock of $1,000,000. This 

 has been accomplished and hereafter 

 earnings will be paid on a more current 

 basis. 



Here ore the directors of the Illinois Wool 

 Marketing Association for 1945. Left to right: 

 Vice President A. L. Doubet, Williamsfield: 

 Escol Oxford, Elizabethtown; August Eg- 

 gerding. Red Bud; Dorothy Crum, office 

 secretary; President William Temple, Se- 

 rena, and Secretary S. F. Russell, Chicago. 

 Lyman Bunting, Ellery, was absent when 

 picture was taken. At the annual meet- 

 ing, Ronald Holt, Galva. was named to 

 succeed Lyman Bunting. Ellery. 



44 



L A. A. RECORD 



