At the end of November1903, Governor Brodie’s statement on the progress of Arizona included many areas of the economy with the report ended with the status of the livestock industry but it is almost exclusively about the sheep industry. I have taken it verbatim from the newspaper.
“The Live Stock Sanitary Board submits a report in which it says that the live stock industry, as in the past, stands second in magnitude among the great industries of the territory. The passage of a live stock law by the last legislative assembly, says the sanitary board, marks a new era of prosperity and protection to those engaged in stock raising nd undoubtedly will reduce the cow thief and the rustler to a mere matter of tradition.
E. S. Gosney, of Flagstaff, Secretary of the Arizona Woolgrowers’ Association, reports at length on the sheep industry of Arizona for the current year. Mr. Gosney estimates the lamb, sheep and wool crop of the season in this manner: sheep one year old and over, 500,000; lambs, 270,000; mutton, 250,000; wool clipped 3,500,000 pounds. The average price of wool for the season of 1903 was 13 cents per pound, giving a value of $455,000. The average price of lambs, $2.50 per head, but the sale of lambs at $675,000, making a total value of the sheep product of this territory for the season amount to $1,130,000.”
The cattle industry, well, they were absent in this report except their mention in the livestock board report. Surely, they had something to report for as we will see in the next post they surely wanted to complain about the sheep industry.
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