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THE RONAN PIONEER Entered as second-clads matter May 12, 1910, at the post Located in the Heart of the Great Flathead Indian Reservation office at Ronan, Montana, under the Act of March 3, 1879 Volume II. No. 51. RONAN, MISSOULA COUNTY. MONTANA, APRIL 19, 1912. $2 Per Year What the Cow Has Done Can Be Done Again In a descriptive story about the town of Mt. Vernon, in the state of Washington, which appeared last Sunday in the Seattle Times, is some startling information concerning what the cow has done for that town and the farm ers surrounding it. It is here that one of the largest condensed milk canneries of the Pacific coast is to be found, and what that industry has done for the farmers there can be duplicated in other sections, with the same energy expended as has been exhibited by the people of that town. The story alluded to is as fol lows: Each municipality in the state has some particular thing to which is accredited its present prosperity or future hopes of it. It may be only a certain kind of fruit, which attains near perfec tion in its vicinity, or it may be lumber sawing, or fishing, or canning, or commerce or manu facturing. In Mount Vernon it is the gen tle American cow that is given credit for present abundant pros perity and high hopes of even greater yet to come. Here they think milk, talk milk, ship milk, and, more to the point, so far as present prosperity be concerned, they can milk. For this town is the greatest milk canning center of the Pacific coast. Located here is the largest condensery or cannery in the world-the plant of the Pacific Coast Condensing Company, representing an in vestment of $150,000, employing 170 people in its operation and paying out to employes and the farmers of the surrounding coun try $600,000 a year for milk. and slightly over a stones throw distance is another condensery with a capacity about two-thirds as large and representing an in vestment of about $100,000. The larger condensery uses 100,000 pounds of milk a day, for which the farmers receive $1.67 a hundred. This means $1,760 is paid out every day to the farmers of the vicinity, and as the condensery runs every day in the year, including Sun days, by continuing the equation you ascertain that an average of $50,000 is paid out each month, which means $600,000 in a year. These figures include the payroll of the cannery's 170 employes. The average price of a case of milk containing four dozen cans is $3.40. And as 1,200 cases are produced on the average day, the value of the daily output is $4,080, and the annual output is $1,500,000. As the smaller con densery has about two-thirds the capacity of the larger one, the value of its annual output is about $1,000,000, and in the grand total Mount Vernon fur nishes to the world canned milk each year for which $2,500,000 is exacted in payment. Now, even the ordinary cow will net the farmers at least $110 a year, and the better blooded kind from $120 to $130. The farmer with ten acres has room on it for ten cows, as well as for a home, barns and garden. His net income is from $1,100 to $1,200 a year, And the word "net" is used advisedly, for it must be borne in mind that he has no rent to pay, providing he owns this ten acres, which is practically invariably the case; he raises all the vegetables which are required for his table; he has few of the expenses that must be faced by the city dweller and his $1,100 or $1,200 net in come means as much to him a the $1,800 to $2,400 income o his less fortunate brother why dwells in the city and labor from early morn until perhaps late at night. In the average community the coming of a new railrcad or th4 establishment of some grea manufacturing plant serves t( increase real estate values. Ir Mount Vernon and vicinity the discovery of the capabilities of r cows production is responsiblh for greater increase than the coming to the average city oi two transcontinental roads. Ii would be hard to find a multiplE of the ratio of increase. of the price of lands in the surrounding country. As an illustration, one promi nent citizen said: "Just seven years ago I went out to look at some uplands, which were covered with stumps, and when the man asked me $2.50 an acre, I told him he was trying to rob me and indignantly spurned his offer. Those very same lands today are eagerly bought at from $75 to $100, and with comparatively small ex penditure are made to sustain a cow, which in a year will yield its owner from $110 to $120 net income. And the land does not have to be entirely cleared be fore an acre will sustain a cow." It is quite true many farmers do not have a cow for every acre but it is also quite true that prac tically every acre in the sur rounding country will sustain its cow. The result is that the cow is forcing an era of land clearing in the vicinity without .parallel in the previous history of the community. The so-called up lands, so long disdained, are now as eagerly sought after as were once the fertile valley farms. Dairying is being carried on on a scale unprecedented. What the cow has done for Mount Vernon, she can and will do for Ronan or any other town in the Flathead valley. It seems like with all the information that has been imparted regarding the amount of money to be made out of the creamery business, that our farmers would get into the cow business on a scale in keep ing with the demands of the peo ple who are living here, at least. There is shipped into Ronan reg ularly every month tons of but ter, and all this product should be produced at home instead of away from here. Ask the mer chant how many cases of con densed milk he sells every year and then compute how much money that is which leaves here never to return. The farmers of the Flathead with limited acreage will see the great benefit this would be to them to get into dairying and cut out the raising of grain for mar ket. Cows and chickens will be the salvation of them all and the sooner they get into this kind of industries the better it will be for all concerned. Finished the Work Alfred Paquette, deputy as sessor, finished work in this dis trict last Saturday. He says there has been a wonderful in crease in both people and assess able property since last year and that the assessment roll will be enormous. He says that people generally are well pleased with the assessment and that taking everything into consideration they are contented and satisfied. LEAP YEAR. Ti, "SPEAK TO ME, LOVE-ONLY SPEAK, LOVE!" -Heaton in Chicago Inter Ocean Somebody Has Had a Pipe It came to the knowledge of the Pioneer this week that some body has been circulating the re port that this paper was fighting the reclamation project on the Flathead. That "somebody," whoever it is who has been pel dling that story, has certainy been very badly misinform', and certainly has not been read ing the paper. There has been some things done in connection with the dis position of the Flathead lands which have been censured by the Pioneer. For instance, attention has been called to the fact that a large amount of land on this reservation was never classified nor appraised at the time the balance was, and this fact has been called to the attention of Pioneer readers. It has caused some confusion and has been the subject of considerable annoy ance to those who have applied for homesteads on this class of land, but at no time has this been laid at the door of the reclama tion service. The Pioneer has thought that those under the pro ject were entitled to know how much of their homestead would be irrigated and has not been slow to say so, but, is that "fighting the service?" Because the department at Washington refused to give out the information is no reason the Pioneer has a grouch coming, and although an effort has been made to have the department modify its ruling, that no ad vance information would be given out, has not caused the Pioneer to "fight" the men who are engaged in the great work which is being done here at the present time. The publishers of the Pioneer have been in an irrigated coun try now for over 20 years and believe they know the value of irrigation to the lands of the in ter-mountain country. They have had practical and actual knowl edge of its benefits and realize fully just what it may mean to the homesteaders of this section. This being true, would it seem plausible that they would fight the reclamation service? The facts are to the contrary. The Pioneer wants every acre of the Flathead lands under irriga tion, and believes it the best in sirance any man ever took out. whether they ever use the water or not. There may be a series of years when no one will ever turn the water from a ditch onto their land, and then again there may come a dry year, like two years ago, when the water to ir rigate would be worth in any one year all it will cost when entire ly completed. Some sections of the valley may never need the water, and other sections may need it every year. This being true, then it seems that the person who started the report that the Pio neer is "fighting the reclama tion" is either deliberately Alsdfying or else has had a pipe and let it go out. There is every reason to believe that the party who started this report is known and it can be said that when politics carries one to the extent of deliberate falsehood in order to possibly win, that the limit has been reached. We want it known to both those who favor and those who do not favor the reclamation, that this paper is favorable to the reclamation, and that it is not fighting the project now under construction on the Flat head. Conditions Good George W. Covalt, secretary of the . Ronan Democratic club, arrived in Missoula this morning to meet his mother, who came in from her home in Cincinatti. Parent and son left today for the Flathead country, where Mrs. Covalt will visit some weeks. Speaking with reference to the general conditions in the new country, Mr. Covalt said pros pects for the farmers and indus trial organizations could scarcely be improved. The weather is of the best sort and the ground and trees are already covered with the green of spring. All of the farmers are hastening to get their seeding done and there should be an immense production of grains and grasses this fall. "All we need now," said the visitor, "is a railroad. The Flat head country is in dire need of transportation facilities and we must have a steam or electric line before we can continue our development plans on the Flat head. This lack sadly hampers our operation, but we are work ing while we wait and are hope ful that the powers that be will recognize the want some of these days. In the meantime we would be glad to have the coun ty commissioners come and look us over. Good country roads would help some."--Sentinel. Real estate bought and sold. Brower & Hollingsworth, Ronan, Mont. .43 Senator Dixon Wires As to Flathead Situation Last week it was merely men tioned that work on the reclama tion project would soon close down, and this week comes the word that the men have been discharged in many of the camps. This action has been made neces sary br reason of the fact that the appropriation is about ex hausted and without any money to pay the men with there was nothing left to do but stop work. To ascertain the situation, the Ronan Commercial club, by A. J. Brower, president, sent the following telegram to Senator Dixon last Saturday and on Mon day received the senator's reply. Mr. Brower's telegram was as follows: Hon. Jos. M. Dixon, Washington, D. C., Urge necessary action to pre vent interruption reclamation work. Work being gradually stopped at present, resulting in disorganizing working forces. Any delay which defers com pletion of work will seriously in jure homesteaders and retard general development. Advise Senator Myers and Congressman Pray of this message. Ronan Commercial Club, A. J. Brower, Pres. Senator Dixon answered: Washington, D. C., Apr. 14, 1912. A. J. Brower, Pres., Ronan Com. Club, Ronan, Mont. Telegram received. Indian ap propriation bill now pending in the senate committee. Flathead appropriation bill was cut in the house six weeks ago. I intro duced senate amendment in creasing appropriation and make money immediately available. At present it will be one month before appropriation bill becomes a law. I have done everything that I(can in the matter person ally, and hope for more favor able results in senate than ac 2orded in the house. Joseph IV!. Dixon. From the last telegram, it seems that had the house passed the bill as it left the senate, there would have been no occa sion to close down any portion of the work, as the money would have been available before this time to continue same. It seems like false economy to have a force of competent men *at work and who are acquainted with the duties, and then to have to dis charge them and be compelled to again assemble a working force. It is just such tactics which add to the cost of the projects and this cost must eventually be paid by the men who have homestead ed the lands on the Flathead reservation. The actual cost of construction would not be nearly so much were the money avail able to pay the cost at all times until the project was completed. So far there is no reason to be lieve that any of the money which has been spent has been dissipated, the progress of the work being rapid and the ex penditure to date very small when the magnitude of the work accomplished is taken into ac count. But to be compelled to assemble another working force, demoralize the present organiza tion, will entail additional ex pense which could have been avoided, had there been no poli tics mixed up with the business. It is to be truly hoped that the appropriation will be secured at an early date, that the stop in construction work will not be more than temporary. Birthday Party The home of Mr. and Mrs. Coker F. Rathbone was the scene of a gathering of a number of invited friends on Tuesday even ing, April 16th, which was in tended as a surprise birthday party on the invited guests, it being the anniversary of Mrs. Rathbone's birthday. It was not intended that the guests should know the reason for the party, but a woman's well known inability to keep a secret allowed the truth to leak out to one or two, and they, strange to say, kept it quiet. The evening was spent in various games of cards and in visiting with one another. Light refreshments were serval about 11 o'clock and everybody seemed to enjoy the evening heartily.' Mrs. Rathbone was the recipient of a lovely silver spoon tray by Mr. and Mrs. John J. Rogers. and a silver olive fork given by Mr. and Mrs. Jos. Bouchard. There were just 50 adults present, being just two more than the hostess was years young. Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. I. M. Brandjord, Geo. E. Broughton, A. J.. Brow er, M. J. Benedict, Jos, Bouch ard, Jno. N. Bailey, Jas. Grant, W. S. Hollingsworth, John Kent ner, J. D. Larson, Jos. A. Le mire, D. N. Mason, Fred Potvin, John J. Rogers, E. H. Rathbone, A. M. Sterling, Stanley Scearce, A. Sutherland, A. M. Thorn. burgh, H. E. Stansbury, Dr. and Mrs. John E. Fuhrer, W. R. Sheen, Dr. W. W. Hall, Dr. Geo. H. Putney, Don D. Rath bone, E. L. McConnell and Rev. Father Keene of Gettysburg, S. D., who arrived on that day to visit with Messrs. A. J. Brower and W. S. Hollingsworth and families, and who was bidden to attend also. YOUNG FOLKS PARTY . Wednesday evening the young folks were invited to the same residence to eat up the leavings, They came and made more noise than twice the number who were there the evening before could have made and had equally as much fun. They played all kinds of games and enjoyed themselves to the limit. They also managed to clean up about everythfhg in the eatable line and then went home apparently satisfied. Those present were: Misses Hilda Smith, Clara Goodrich, Ethel Mil ler, Effie Hollingsworth, Bertha and Laura Edmondson, Mattie and Anna Trosper, Louise Bou chard, Edith Conway, Mrs. Sara Ashman, Miss Barbara Kain, and Messrs. Frank Denison, Ross Lemire, R. A. Jensen, Bolivar Scearce, Arthur Bouchard, Bert Flatton, Albin Larson, Justus and Don Rathbone. Dr. and Mrs. Sheen attended also, the former to help the host properly chaperon the young people, and the latter to assist the hostess in the serving. Both were a success. Favorably Reported The bill to relieve the settlers on the Flathead reservation, giv ing them patents immediately after making commutation proof, has been favorably reported for passage by the senate committee on public lands. It is to be hop ed that it will now pass and be come a law. Church Notice Preaching services will be held in the Methodist church Sunday, April 21, at 11:30 a. m. and 8 p. m. Sunday school at 10:30 a. m. There will be Sunday school and preaching services at the Mud creek school house in the after noon at 2:30 and 3:30. A. D. WELCH, Pastor.