Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Alliance herald. (Alliance, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1902-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1915)
9 i GREETINGS TO WESTERN STOCKMEN AND mm OeML OOl UNION STOCK YARDS SOUTH OMAHA, NEBR SAFE SOUND PROGRESSIVE ACCOMMODATING IV OFFICES ALSO AT KANSAS CITY AND CHICAGO THF NEBRASKA STOCK GROWERS' ASSOCIATION AVhy You Should Join an Association that Pays Every Member Big Returns for Small Annual Expense. If Nebraska stockmen, especially cattle and horse men, knew raoro of the good work done by the Nebraska Stock Growers Associ ation and the benefit already derived from the service rendered by the organization, and if they understood fully the work yet to be done l)y the association, The Herald doubts not that the membership would 1)0 doubled or trebled within a very short time, as it should be. We have in previous issues given reasons wh ythe membership of the N. S- G. A. ought to be largely increased, and give a few here with. "NVe shall publish more detailed information on some points in succeeding issues of this paper, whihe will include the issue during the annual convention. Expenses of the Association The expenses of the association and its work are paid by a com paratively few, the membership being only about four hundred. There are more than three thousand persons in Nebraska engaged in stock raising, or directly interested in the industry, who ought to be members of the association. If they would all join for the ensuing year by the time of the annual convention in June, the membership fee could be reduced to an amount that would be insignificant. The annual dues for each member at the present time are $2.50 plus three cents per head of cattle and horses assessed in the state at the last assessment. The average number of head owned by the mem bers is about 350, or perhaps a little less. The average annual dues is now about $12.50. With the membership doubled the expenses of the association would not be materially increased, hence the average membership dues would be practically cut in two, making only a little more than six dollars for the man with three hundred and fifty to four hundred head of stock, less than two cents per head. With the membership increased five-fold, as it should be, the ex penses of the association would not be more than double what they are now, in fact would not be double, so that the average dues would be but little more than one cent per head, practically nothing to the prosperous stockman. Some readers may want to know why the expenses of the associ ation will be increased only a comparatively small amount even with a large increase in the membership. The reason is that some of the expenses of conducting the affairs of the association are the same, or about the same, with a small membership that they would be with a large membership. The main item of expense is that paid for brand inspection at the open markets. This expense is, in fact, more than all the other expenses of the association combined. A lump sum is paid, so much per year without reference to the number of head inspected or the number of members of the association. Hence it is easy to see how ' an increase in the number of members of the association will decrease the annual dues per member. Benefits of Brand Inspection As to the benefit of brand inspection, no stockman who has re ceived its protection would think of bring without it for the smal cost of membership in the Nebraska Stock Growers Association. The direct benefits derived from brand inspection are for the members of the association, but other stockmen are indirectly benefitted, as we will show, and ought to help.bear the expense. The law of Nebraska provides for the recording of stock brands in the office of the secre tary of state, Every ranchman in the state who has his brand re corded, and re-recorded every period of five years, is legally entitled to the exclusive use in Nebraska of the brand or brands so recorded. All branded cattle shipped from Nebraska to South Omaha and other open markets are inspected by expert brand inspectors, who are pro vided with an abstract of the brands of the members of the Nebraska Stock Growers Association, the expense of the inspection being paid by the association from funds derived from the annual dues. When cattle are found in any shipment bearing a brand that be longs to a member of the N. S. G. A. but not to the shipper, unless the shipper can show a bill of sale for them, they are cut out and the money for them is returned to the owner instead of being paid to the shipper. It would surprise most people to learn how many cattle are found in shipments where they do not belong and how much money is returned each year to the rightful owners. Some years the amount runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cattle get into wrong shipments in two ways, by mistake and by being stolen, most frequently by mistake. Brands are some times indistinct and can be accurately discerned only by removing the hair, as is done when necessary by the official brand inspectors at the stock yards. Estrays get among the cattle of ranchmen who do not know but what they are part of their herds; and even if they do know that the cattle are not theirs, it is difficult for them to ascertain to whom they belong unless the owner is a member of the association. Brand Inspection Stops Cattle Stealing There was a time before the Nebraska Stock Growers Associa tion was organized when rustling cattle was an important industry in this state. It is still carried on to some extent, but the wise thief avoids taking anything belonging to members of the N. S. G. A. He might steal a steer belonging to a member and get away with it by skinning it and burning the hide, but he can't ship it to an open mar- Ket without getting caught, something that occurred recently in Cherry county, Nebr., serves as a good illustration of the difference it makes to a cattle thief in Nebraska whether the stuff stolen be longs to a member of the association or not. A load of cattle was stolen and shipped to South Omaha. They were branded but the owner was not a member of the association Had he been, the money for the cattle would have been returned to him, instead of being paid to the thief, who would have been un doubtedly caught. When the owner of the cattle discovered his loss, he made an investigation and after much work and expense, that would not have been needed had he been a member of the association he learned that his cattle had been sold in South Omaha to an Iowa feeder. Other Reasons for Joining Association There are other splendid reasons why all Nebraska ranchmen and others interested in the live stock industry in this state should join the association, all of which cannot be mentioned in one issue o the paper. Brand inspection is a matter of great importance to all who are in danger at any time of losing their cattle by being stolen or straying. Some of the good work of the association benefits stockmen who are not members as well as those who are, by making it dangerous for cattle thieves to try to operate in this state, but no one has a right to expect the benefit of brand inspection provided and paid for by the association unless he is a member. Many other benefits of membership in the N. S. G. A. might be enumerated, but they can all be included, in a general way, in the good that comes to any line of industry or business when those en gaged in it are in touch with each other. They are ready then to act conjunctively on short notice when occasion requires, which would Necessity of Union Among Stockmen "In: union there is strength." It is evident that there ought to ie closer union among the live stock interests. Persons who are not posted on what has already been accomplished by the Nebraska Stock Growers Association will be surprised by an investigation. While the expenses of the organization have been borne by a comparatively few (the membership being composed of only a small part of the stockmen of the state), the work done has not only more than repaid the members but has either directly or indirectly benefitted those who are not members. Nebraska is called an agricultural state, but it is more than that. It is one of the leading stock growing states. There is no part of the state where the raising of live stock is not an important industry, but in a large part of the state stock raising is of vastly more import ance than crop growing. As the land becomes deeded eventually that which is good only, or principally, for grazing will go back into the hands of stockmen, under deeds from the homesteaders; and when they own the land they will raise a better grade of stuff than they did with free range and free pasture. This with better winter feed and care will immensely increase the value of-the products of the "ranch country"; while cattle and hogs will never cease to be raised in abundanee in those parts of our state where corn and alfalfa are the leading agricultural products. Organization a Oood Thing This is an age in which interests succeed, not by fighting among themselves or being indifferent towards each other, but by working together for the accomplishment of a given purpose. Co-operation among those engaged in the same industry or business spells success. Organization is an important factor for the promotion of co-operation. It is not possible to obtain as great results without proper organization as with it. For this reason The Herald strongly advises all Nebraska stockmen to join the Nebraska Stock Growers Associa tion. The cost of membership is insignificant in proportion to the benefits derived, and the larger the membership the less will be tbe cost to the individual member. The splendid work of the association' and the benefits to the live 6tock interests of the state are not as fully appreciated as they should be. If you want to know more about the Nebraska Stock Growers Association and its members, read The Herald. Legislation and Quarantine Matters of legislation arise from time to time affecting the live stock industry. Stockmen know better than anybody else what it to their interests and to what they are entitled. An individual request or protest has little or no weight compared with the influence of a demand from a nonpartisan organization composed of leading citi zens of the state. There have been times when the work of the association in mat ters pertaining to the eradication of disease, quarantine, etc., have been of more value to the live stock interests than the cost of running the organization. The officers are men of executive ability who are competent to handle matters coming before them for their attention. I hey shouia have the backing of all who are interested in animal in dustry. "Do It Now" This issue of The Herald is sent to a large number of ranchmen who are not members of the Nebraska Stock Growers Association. No doubt many of them will decide to join the association, but "procras tination is the thief of time." NOW is the time to take some action in the matter. The payment of annual dues entitles to membership from the time of the annual convention in June to the next annual convention the following June. There is encouragement in numbers If you have decided to become a member, write IMMEDIATELY to Hon. Chas. C. Jameson, Secretary, Ellsworth, Nebr., and inform him of your intention. If you choose to do so, you mav enclo vmn- at the rate of $2.50 plus three cents per head of horses he nractieallv imrtnssihln without nrf anirntinn - I - 1 -" . . . v v i i l j As there will be some readers of this number of The Herald who i check lor dues did not read an article in The Herald some months airo. and as mat- and cattle assessed in Nebraska this year. The eheet will ters of vital importance were mentioned therein, we wish to reprint ed on dues for the year commencing at the close of the annual con a part of it as follows: ' (Continued on page Three)