library UT THE PRODUCERS NEWS COUNTY fvery ufl member a reader of the producers news EDITION 1, P..KIwIwh 1 Weekly _ OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE UNITED FARMERS LEAGUE _ PLENTYWOOD, SHERIDAN COUNTY, MONTANA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1933 VOLUME XV. Nombre 46 Entered a« second Claas Matter, October II, 1111, at the Poat nfflce at Plentywood. Montana, Under the Act of March S. 1ITI insurance companies FORCED TO HALT FORECLOSURES; IOWA FARMERS' ACTION IS EFFECTIVE NEW YORK LIFE i Iowa Farmers Threatened Company's Lawyer With Rope at Foreclosure NFW MANOF.UVER Farmers Must not be Lulled Into Inactivity by Par tial Victory In order to stem the rising re volt of. the Iowa farmers against , 'ware, and evictions the New York Life and the Aetna life In line« companies, have suspended foreclosure activities in that state ornrilv y * . ... ,• _ i The first «top m this action was president Buckneî made a SSLSTto this effect' on Jan. ■ut it followed on the request of Herring cf' Iowa who Governor mggested to the life insurance companies that no foreclosures be ' undertaken until the legislature | The insurance companies are not planning similar action In other stat<*. The excuse given for the actions in Iowa is that the situa It i* but not in the way had had time to act. IOWA IS "PECULIAR" dern there is "peculiar. "peculiar, that the insurance companies say. The "peculiarity" they have talked shout in the press, is that in Iowa fireclofiures have been demanded by second mortgage holders. The real "peculiarity" which the New York life Insurance company knows about thru its experience, but which was not mentioned in the statement of Buckner, is that the fanners in Plymouth nounty threatened to hang an agent of the New York Life when he bid less than the full amount ofj a farmers mortgage en Jan. 4. By bidding less than the amount of the mortgage the farmer would have bail a deficiency judgment hanging over his head. The farm U'ontlmiod «n P*»*. -Two) BANKERS START SCHEME IN NEB. „ , . I P , The politician* and the bankers »* "Voluntary Adjustment Boards Organized to Rob Farmers in Nebraska, have started their own program of "conciliation" in order U> stop the struggle against foreclosures and evictions. Governor Bryan appointed a semi-official committeed to work with similar local committee« to rob the farmer* peacefully. The, board, according to the governor,! "will act as a voluntary adjust ment board until a refinancing program for agriculture can be worked out by Congress." The governor wants to pass the buck for legislation to Congres» and maintain the hope« of the farm er* In Congress. "1 AIK AND EQUITABLE ADJUSTMENTS" "The fir»t of March la rapidly approaching/* continued the gov- I «rnor in his statement "That fa | the time for farm settlements. In- ; tercKt payments, extending mort- ! Rages and renewing leases, and 1 j fael that a board of conciliation •hould be created to assist In the hnnguig about f a l r and equitable! :::rr Mwecn ,iobto " a,,d , TV loci committee, which will ** »opoioted for this benefit work ! »il he composed of II,. loci , bu*lne«men who win a « thing 5 their power £ Z possiWe "settlement" for the "«'kern. Fauui'h« KMKRS ^PRESENTATION If such rammiif . ... . «I the LTm . T the, »rc X*. .ï! th,t "»tali™ "'"'. .a ."."J" elect their ,, wn ri ' lh * 1 .f h,y Bä CJTÎÎÎ lltld rtl#ni Wd '^closures by «houl i ."T Rct,on 1f th ® fa>ard •Mnstot on thi. policy of tha » $400,000,000 IN INSURANCE CO. LOANS IN IOWA The latest figures available on insurance company mortgages in Iowa are published i n the annual repo it of the New York State Sup erintendent of Insurance as of Dec. 31, 1931. They show that Equitable Life Assurance Society ha« the largest stake in Iowa, with $90,040,000 of mortgages on the farms. The Metropolitan Life had on that date, $64,423,000 in Iowa farm mortgages, the Prudential had $26,059,000 and the New York Life $1,838,000. These total* represent mot the face amount of the mortgages, but the amount of the principal re i "lining unpaid. They are re P° ,ted to b ® th ® same as amounts! outstanding at the end of 1932. ^ revea l tha t of total farm mortgages of $618,706,000 held by all these companies, $182,360,000 ^ on Iowa propertiM io£ Mortgages on Iowa farms held P at the end of 1931 by the fifteen l® adin 8 companies licensed to writ ® »f® France la New York State follow: I jin $14,066,000 86,181,000 8,148,000 Aetna Lifo Banker» Life Connecticut General Connecticut Mutual Equitable (N.Y.) . j Equitable (Iowa) John Hancock .... Metropolitan . National Life .... Naw York Ufa .. j Northweatam Mutual— 4O3O0JOW .... 26,069,000 .... 10,610,000 .... 11,233,000 12,479,000 j 90,040.000 50,098,000 88,252,000 • 64,428,000 ' 6,467.000 1,888,000 I Prudential . Travelers ...... j Union Central j INSURANCE CO.'S |HOLD BILLIONS This table, showing a total of more than $370,000,000, indicates that theie is outstanding with life insurance companies thruout the country approximately $400,000, 000 in mortgage« ( >n farms in the one state cf Iowa. IN MORTGAGES The following table show« the totals of farm mortgage« outstand ing with various leading compan ies at the end of 1931: $ 63,408,000 , 66,341,000 Aetna. Bankers Life . 21,747,000 Connecticut Gen-l. Connecticut Mutual .... 39,890,000 Equitable (N.Y.) Equitable (Iowa) . 64,178,000 John Hancock . Metropolitan . Mutual Benefit .... National Life . New Yoik Life .. N'westem Mutual Penn. Mutual . .Phoenix Mutual | p rovldent Mutual . 7 929,000 209.248.000 78,966.000 188,920,000 196,682,000 .... 174,536,000 .... 184 594,000 .... 160,270,000 .... 88,720.000 .... 26.003,000 .... 216,506,000 .... 16.800,000 . 30,616,000 _ , to Buy Auto Licenses Prudential . Travelers . Union Central 1 - - — | Farmer» Will Refuse _ ^ Greeley, Jan. 31. y Uv farmers, organized into the Farmers Holiday refused to buy 1933 license plates ftw tb «fa autoB a!nd tn J ckfl untu J IR® legislature reduces t e ees. This decision was retched upm adoption of a resolution at the or ganization meeting at Greeley of nearly 400 farmers and bu«iness men. Joe McCarthy, Greeley was elected presided! of the county J group I Oklahoma"Farmers Threaten to Smash Red Cross Doors „ . (By a Farmer Correspondent) aw»*, oh»., j«n. 2».-i* «,« H* rur "' //'^«To^c « There are tal , lle, ' >"• ^„t"re ln 'only between 50 and 60 voter* w ^^ecinct and It i* considered a tow ™ ,lip - ^° U ( it went Democratic as every one knew it would. The encouraging thnig about it is that 10 out of the 60 voters refused to vote for '■itt'T Hoover or Rooeevelt. Thl. happened in a community where -rarcely any of th. p«pl* "» road or write and never heard of But thfy ,re hun ™ naked> This county is strictly an agrl cu i tU ral district. There Is no manu factoring ef any kind in the coun HUGE HOLDINGS Insurance Company Heads Determined to Get Most Out of Farmers Insurance Companies Hold LENIENCY" MOVE * * $1,700,000,000 of Farm Mortgage* I .. . VT v , ... 84:11011 ^®w ^ or * t (France Company fa. suspending | mortgage foreclosures in Iowa has 1)6011 followed by other leading in | J companh*. ' The threat of miUtant action by I the farmers has become so serious that the Prudential Insurance Co. America has announced atop in * ot all foreclosure proceedings on farm^ thruout the country on which it holds mortgages. The Prudential is the largest single holder of farm mortgages the country, having $209,248, ooo invested in about 37,000 farms t the end of 1931. It is reported that the remftin er ^ the Insurance companies wiU follow the lead of the Prudential. Latest estimates, by the Asso ciation of IJfe Insurance presi dents, indicate that the total of farm mortgages outstanding In the hands of the life insurance com panies at the end of 1982 was nearly $1,700,000,000. CONCENTRATED IN SEVEN STATES The Insurance company farm mortgage holdings are c olncen Piilfe Two) • Continued •»•> FARMERS MUST PAYSAYSBANK Chicago Bank Reveals That Farmers Will be Robbed to Limit if Possible The Chicago Joint Stock bank has hastened to tell the farm ets of Iowa that it has no inten tion of stopping collecting inter est cn it* bends. I*ast week In Plymouth county, two agent« of the bank made a deal with a farm by which the two years' Inter est due on his $16,000 mortgage was cancelled and the mortgage reinstated. O. H. Noel, assistant receiver for the bank, when told of the deal, stated that this did not mean that the bank had changed it« policy, and that furthermore, the farmer who has his Interect can celled was paying for it. "Campbell's case might have merited some special considéra- • tion," Mr, Noel said. "Other case« will be handled on their own merits. I do not know the terms of the agreement made with Campbell by our agent, Jacob Grest, but I am sure Campbell will not stay on the farm for nothing, There mu*| be eofadltfcms to the agreement that wlU give us some thing." Regardles« what It might mean for the farmer» the bankers do mand such conditions that "will give us (the bankers) something." er Most of the people have al been renters and what few ty. owned their farms had them mort have lost gaged and of course them now. The result is that the Ixian companies own most of the county. The price of farm pro ducts went down so that the rent from the land would nothing like pay the taxee, *o of course the loan companies let the farms go for the taxe», or charged the farmer cash rent which he i* not able to raise. In some cases the farmer Is required to pay $50 for the use of the house above the Th* house» and barn» are going!to crop rent. HOUaSES AND BARNS GOING TO RUIN h ich Get 90 Per Cent of R.F.fc. Loans Direct * During the eleven months of operations of the Re construction Finano Corporation during 1932 the cap italist class received 90 per cent of the $1,648,622,393 cash actually distributed. The destitute farmers and the city workers got at the most 'ten per cent of this huge sum. On crop loans the farmers received $64,204,506, of which $16,707,080 has been repaid as a result of the hounding of the government collectors. The states and their political subdivisions received $100,993,175 for re-1 lief purposes. The rest of tlv huge funds doled out by the RFC was distributed amo ig the capitalists as follows: Banks, insurance companies, building and loan associations, railroads and others: $1,427 603,122. Regional Agricultural Credit Corporations: $35,768,618, (for rich farmers and big landown ers). Construction of self liquidating projects (the great "public works program"); $17,793,000. Carrying and orderly marketing of agricultural commodities (to aid speculators and "co-opera tives"); $1,439,974. INDICT SHERIFF IN GUN ATTACK At Least Five Businessmen Aided Sheriff in Bloody Attack mer Sheriff Tilton, and five busi-1 nessmen have been indicted by the grand jury for the shooting of 14 farmers last August during the farm strike around Sioux City. Those indicted are Harrison Steele, bank president; Ralph White, an employe of Steel's bank, ex-Sheriff Tilton, Dr. Forrest Barns, Claude Bensely and six others. The farmers were shot when several cars drove past their camp on the picket lines near Sioux City and fired on them without warn ing. At the time of the shooting the sheriff disclaimed any knowl edge of the assailants. The sheriff who was afraid to attack the farmen» In broad day light, tried to murder them at night. In this he was elded by the businessmen accomplices of the milk trust. Eleven persons, including for FORCED SALE IN W1S- BRINGS $1.35 District Attorney Threatens Fanners With Charge of "Rioting and 'was then turned back to Mrs. Hermaneon. When Sehock put In a bid for $86 the fa r mers told the auction 1 eer that the bid was not to be accepted, escorted Sebock out on the road where they kept him out of mischief until the sale had been concluded. The district attorney of Jeffer son county U trying to brow beat j the farmers with th r eats of court ( action. He h«» threatened to | issue warrants for eleven of them charging "rioting." *» Jefferson, Wis., Jan. 19.—One separator went for 16 cents and 12 cows for 10 cents a piece when 250 farmers participated in a Sears and Roebuck sale near here on Jan. 16. The separator and the cows were the property of Her man Hermaneon. One Otton Se bock held a chattel mortgage on them. The lot was sold for $1.86 MANY FARMER CHILDREN WITHOUT CLOTHES DURING MOST OF YEAR; ONLY MEAGER RED CROSS RELIEF .... , to ruin so that the fanner cannot Veep his family and stock properly protected from the cold winter weather. The fence» are down an( j ou tside stock eat up the crop bef^r« ho can gather It. In 80me par t a 0 f the county where there is a little timber left the farmers have taken to tie-hacking f° r an existence. Thl» affords them 26 80 cents a day for the hardest ! jFARM YOUTH IN MINN. CONFERS Young Fanners Will Take Part in Minnesota Hunger March Virginia, Minn., Feb. 4.—In the face of growing mass resistance to foreclosures, sheriff's sale«, 123 farm youth delegates met in Vir ginia, Minn., on Jan.. 29, to out line plans and activity to win re lief for the youth of Minnesota. The conference was marked by de tailed reports from various lo calities and sections of Minnesota. The delegates hod been elected from mass meetings, various and youth organizations, sports clubs, and local house meetings. All of the delegatee spoke on the grow ing resistance of the farmers to loss of their homes and pointed out increasing role of the farm youth in the militant action« tak ing place. The main report for the provis ional Committee, was given by Elmer I*apakko, and dealth with the situation nationally, and with the conditions of the farm youth in Minnesota. Following the main report, the various delegates also pointed out their activities and particularly the methods used to win youth to the militant program of the Farmers National Relief Conference. STATE YOUTH COMMITTEE OF ACTION The conference elected a State Youth Committee of Action of 16 members to prepare the farm youth for the coming State Work ers and Farmers Relief March on February 20. A slate of youth demand« was drawn up and was ratified unani mously, The main demands were: 1. No discrimination against the youth in getting relief work. 2. Free medical and dental ser vice to all needy and unemployed workers and farmers. 8. Hot lunches, free transporta tion and clothing to children of unemployed, and needy poor farm ers. 4. No forced labor at «täte for est reserve projects, and all Wages to be paid in cash. 6. Free sports equipment and facilities for all farm youth. 6. Establishment of libraries In rural communities, and youth in (Continued from Page Two) Many of the farmer»' children ^ ave ^ en out 0 f 8C hiool all year becaUBe Q f insufficient clothing, j n Cross pnomi««« a little help in tse way c j pt hlng for the children, but tW# dj( j n0t arr i ve until after the f j rBt January, and then In such meager quantities that It fa very little good. kind of work. DESTITUTE FARMERS, MADE DESPERATE BY RED CROSS, DISTRIBUTE RELIEF GOODS 1 FOUR WOUNDED IN PICKET FIGHT Open Fire on Farm Pickets; Sheriff Refuses to Arrest Assailants In a fight with pickets on the I highway, four miles north of Rlv j erside, South Dakota, three truck ers were wounded by gunshot on Friday, Feb, 3 one picket was also wounded. R. D. Markell, of Elk Point, the I owner of the truck, suffering from j two rifle bullet wounds in the ab tHe is not expected to live. eats Markell and Harry Mar I keil, two sons of R. D. Markell, suffering from buckshot wounds loj about the face and head. Keats also had a finger on his left hand shot off with a rifle bullet. Both sons weie concealed in the back of the rtuck among the milk cans, waiting to open fire on the pickets. The fourth casualty, Nile Coch-1 ran, of Moville, said to have been one of the picketers, suffered a ; slight scalp wound. He was taken j to the police station where he is I being hied on an open charge. Steps were taken in Sioux City, Saturday, Feb. 4, by Sheriff Tom Collins of Union county, South Da kota, and State Attorney G. C. Donley to extradite Nile Ccchran, Moville, Ia. f farmer, to South Da kota on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. The strike pick et, who was held in jail here, was accused in Iowa of being a fugi tive from justice. When arraig ned in municipal court Cochran's bond Svas fixed at $3,000 which he failed to furnish. Extradition papers for submit tance to Governor Clyde Herring I have been prepared and will be I dispatched as soon as Governor Tom Berry of South Dakota makes a formal demand for the prisoner. A hearing on the extradition re quest probably will be held In Dee Moines within 10 days. RAN STRIKE LINES | The Markell* ran the strike lines last fall and since that time have been antagonistic to the farmers. On Friday they tried to get a 1,000 gallon, load from Elk Point, South Dakota, to Sioux City, de spite the warning« of the farro ers. The Markels were preceded by the sheriff who tried to convince the farmers that they should let the truck through. The farmers refused and put two telephone poles across the road to »top the truck. TRUCKERS FIFED FIRST Th© »heriff and many witnesses to the fight admit that the first shot» came from the Markell truck. The sheriff fa repotted to have taken no part in the fight, since he saw himself "outnumbered." One of hi» deputies received a black eye from the picketing farm The farmers demanded that ers. the «heriff arrest the Markells for starting the shooting, but he took only the wounded picket to jail. Frocmont, Neb., Feb. 8.—By a notice posted on its front door,— signed by its president, Frank Hammond, the Union National bank Friday Informed depositors it has declared a 80 day mora torium on business. It has capital stock of $160,000 and surplus of $60,000 according to its Dec. 81 statement. THREATEN TO SMASH RED CROSS DOORS Several times in the l**t month the crowds gathered round the Rod Cross headquarters in the county seat were so desperate they threatened to smash the doors. On January 1 hundreds of families went to town for the purpose of securing Red Cross aid. The local committee refused to open the doors because It was a legal holi Most of the schools will close down now for the lack of funds and hundreds of children have rot gone to school a day. This is the kind of free education the State of Oklahoma is provid ing for It* p®opl®. day. r Joints y oi Pw A t: f Ip» *+ YOUR RED CROSS NEEDS YOU ...... vo - ¥C , 0 ALWAYS I- Iro ' "Your" Red Oosb needs you— needs your money. But when * ou *®®d "your" Red Cross, you Bnhl, Idaho, Jan. 29.—There fa &n interesting story going around here. Everybody kn |ws all about It but you can't gel In j touch with any eye witnesses. In Twin Falls there is a man by the name of Pringle. He is a modern money shark. He was foreclosing on a farm for which the farmer had paid $17,904) but on which he could not pay the taxes this year. Thl« man, Pringle, took a ride to where there was a new suit of tar and feathers, which he re ceived. Then he proceeded to the Hainson bridge which spans the Snake river. The bridge is about 500 feet above the water. He was going to dive off the bridge. The only facts known without a shadow of doubt fa that fore closure proceeding» have been withdrawn. are put off with empty phrases. The Red Cross ads when it is forced to. Montana farmers Have leu dned this. TAR-FEATHERS FOR BANKER IN IDAHO RUMORED (A BUHL FARMER) The Producers New» fa your paper, renew your subscription FARM PRICES FALL TO NEW LOW LEVEL: 51 PER CENT OF PREWAR Department of Agriculture Admits Drop in Hog Prices Is Due to Inability of Consumers to purchase; Result of Wage Cuts and Unemployment Farm prices reached a new low point on Jan. 16 when the index of the Department of Agriculture fell to 61 per cent, of the pre-war level. One year ago, on Jan. 16, 1982, the price level was at 63 per cent of pre-war. From Dec. 15 eggs took a larg er than seasonal drop, prices of hay, hogs, cattle and calves went down to new reoord levels in the 23 year statistical record of the Department of Agriculture. HOGS ONE THIRD LES*S Hog» were bringing an average farm price of $2.68 per hundred on Jan. 16, or 29 per cent less than on January 16, 1982. This drop of nearly one-third is due, the de 1 HOOVER'S R. F. C. RELIEF Bill Murray and Hoover have been promising us some help ever since November through Hoover's R. P. C. In December a few men worked the road four days for $2.40 a day, and then had to wait 30 days f«r their little bit of pay while their families were hungry and without shoes. They told us that in January every one in the county would get to work, but when Jan. came they put another little group of men to work for five days at $2 a day and then said we would have to wait until after Feb. 1 before any more work could be done. The last crew of men are »till waiting for Bill Murray to Mild them their check*. 10PEN BY MAGIC I Postmaster, Minister and Judge Refuse to Hear Needs of Farmers more is needed Minister Calls Sheriff and Deputy to Beat Fanners' Wives "It opened by magic 1" said one of the farmers of Sheridan coun ty, Montana, when the door of the Red Cross store room at Plen tywood swung open and two hun dred needy white and Indian farm ers helped themselves to the un derwear which had been stored there for several weeks. But it wasn't magic. It was because the farmers came togeth er in a body and decided that if the chairman and the custodian of the Red Cross refused to hand out the goods that they were so badly in need of, they would take It Gathering at the Farmer-I*abor Temple in Plentywood, the farm ers with their wives and children had answered £he call of the Un ited Farmers league for a two day meeting February 8 and 4 to take up the burning question of relief. Many came 85 miles — from the farthest reaches