72 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 



When the Stock Yard Company first took up the cooperative en- 

 terprise with the wool growers of the west, Mr. Thomson was 

 selected by Messrs. Spoor and Leonard to represent their inter- 

 ests. The obstacles at first appeared insurmountable, and at 

 times the lack of support and cooperation would have troubled 

 the soul of many with more sturdy frames, but Mr. Thomson 

 never faltered, and continually pushed forward the plans for 

 the wool growers' cooperative movement. The opening cam- 

 paign of the winter of 1908-1909 was directed toward marketing 

 the western wool clip to better advantage for the producer. At 

 that time no other agricultural product had been sent to the 

 manufacturer under more adverse conditions. The gap between 

 the producer of wool and the mill men was so wide that the 

 average shepherd had no idea many of his practices such as 

 tying his fleeces with binder twine and overproducing fleeces of 

 the blanket and carpet type, were matters objectionable to the 

 mill owner. Largely through the efforts of Mr. Thomson in 

 his position as secretary of the new organization this gap was 

 bridged. He conceived and carried out the educational schemes 

 of the movement, personally preparing a series of unique 

 pamphlets and circulars which told the sheep men of the per- 

 manent injury done by breeding from animals with black fleece, 

 or using insoluble paints, sisal twine and indiscriminate pack- 

 ing. Wool samples were sent by him to flock owners, giving 

 information on market grades and illustrating the eff'ect of qual- 

 ity and length of fiber on fleece values. Market letters were 

 issued at intervals indicating the trend of prices and a wool 

 exhibit full of helpful points for the shipper was prepared for 

 exhibition at the International, at Wool Growers' Conventions 

 and other meetings. When the preliminary educational work 

 was over and the market and trade terms well understood, he 

 began the fight for cooperative warehouses. These were strongly 

 opposed by the wool trade, but his spirit never quailed, and his 



