The nonpartisan leader. [volume], January 06, 1916, Image 16

About The nonpartisan leader. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1915-1921

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
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SIXTEEN
cember 27 at one of the most suc
cessful meetings of the Farmers' Non
partisan Political League in the series
now being held over the state.
thusiastic approval. Questions from
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WaS
^em,ar, ,a
a
'ijCOn* v.r
a
first time presenting a united front.
It wai told how every activity and
grouu of men fixing prices and con-
The 1915 wheat, flax and small
grain crop has perhaps been the
•lost satisfactory cropf produced dur
ing the history of the state insofar
a? quality and yield is concerned.
But how about marketing and
grading weights and dockage? I
haven't talked with any grain buy
er of standing, ability and experi
ence v.'ho has not made the unquali
fied statement that if he had follow
ed the usual and ordinary rules of
buying and grading that he would
have gone bankrupt. Grain that at
other times would grade One North
ern, this year has been graded, Two
and Three Northern. Where one
pound of dockage would heretofore
b2 sufficient, two and three pounds
have been taken this year. "What
is tl-.e meaning of this and what does
it cost the North Dakota farmer?
Farmers Lose $7,700,660
North Dakota produced about
140,000,000 bu'hels of wheat this
year and if this has been sold one
grade below the actual grade it
mean's a loss of $5,000,000.00 to the
farmers. If one pound of over
dockage has bsen exacted it means
a Iocs af $"700,000.00, or on, the two
items alone there has been a losss
of $7,700,000.00. Docs any person
familiar with the grain busines ba
luvcd, that this is an overestimate of
the cost to the farmers on account
of these two items? I am sure that
my estimate is far too low that the
loss is more than double what I have
estimated.
How long will the good, people of
North Dakota continue to produce
the best wheat and other small
grains and seed crops and take no
stepi to correct the evils that beset
the marketing of their crops? The
marketing of grain is just as im
portant to the producer as the
production. Slack methods at either
end of the line is liable to result
in disaster. Everybody, even the
bankers, harvesting machinery manu
facturers and the railroads have all
volunteered their services to show
|pj^ y?f
Nearly 150 farmers comfortably fill- **,/•. m, /-.»
ed the era h^use at Hiiisboro, !De-
Interest was keen from start to
finish and for two hours the audience those who were not 'oined before the banker admitted that some of the
listened to speakers who told of the n.eeting broke up. men whose checks were presented
work the league has done and what Skeptics among bankers and busi- had open checking accounts with
it intends to do. When the plan of
ness men 0
operation of the league during the pression of the strength and assured- fused to pay the checks without
coming campaign was described it success of the league that will not talking it over with them. The
brought from the listeners their en-
wear
a
the audience were frequent and sev- splendid representation of farmers, ent, got up and tried to explain
eral members of the league voiced
an(
e^..
erwise^ e.
,j ,e
S
Dakota had been 40
every other group of men in organiza
tion. but how, at last, this had, b:en
corrected through the League, in
which farmers of the state are organ-
their orinions upon matters under hich cut down the attendance. he made a sorry mess of it as the
discussion. Farmers Interested crowd was in no humor to listen to
Considering the fact that there was
]f
a mistake in advartising the meeting, begangaih- interfere with the farmers in-their
causing a imxup in dates the turn-
ering early and the ball was full to
capac ty at
wou no ave crow the blackboard showing the loss on members, as that country is well
Speakers told how farmery in North
pre en way
18 the last
Jou
w,1,11
ized in a compact ma's and for the fellows-they will never cjme back.
a
ever
They ha™ chanecd
and are
friendly
ditions for farmers had been organi- organization when they see its
a a
THE NONPARTISAN LEADER
League Speakers Enthuse Large
Hulsboro, Wolford, Leeds, Rollette, Thorne, Churches
Ferry and Tagus Have Splendid Meetings—Bankers and
Politicians Are Answered and Squelched—Women Turn
Out in Large Numbers
this despite the mixup in dates why ha did not pay the checks, but
their#tune now
beginning to
tty
attitude to the farmers
zed and united in associations-grain strength. in hopes tc be able to criticize or
buyers, bar.kers, merchants, and even Bw cr Makes Sorry Mess find some fault with the speaker or
boot blacks are organized, and now The Rolette meeting was of special organization. They interrupted sev
that farmers have realized this great interest on account of the opposi- eral tirre~, but from ths prompt
principle and have nearly 80 per cent tion of the local bankers. The manner in which they were shown, up
of the votes in North Dakota the speaker had gone to the bank before they had, to drop open interruption
world is open to them to get what the meeting with several checks and resort to whispering. Their only
they want. that had been returned to the or- complaint was that the farmers were
Outside of townsp-Hjple present ganization unpaid. He requested the building a big political machine and
nearly every one at the meeting was a banker to make a notation on each they were being left out in the cold,
member of the league and most of check why it was not paid. The That pleased the crowd.
how production can be enhanced,
but no one has ventured to point out
how the grading and marketing can
be safeguarded, against loss.
State Should Inspect.
The state of North Dakota should
test, grade and weigh every bushel
41 J*
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Hiiisboro gained an im- balances sufficient to pay, but he re­
ff soon. No meeting in years speaker explained the situation at
Hiiisboro has broughft in such a the meeting. The banker being p(res-
although the weather excuses from a man who tried- to
efforts to organize.
the meeting. Much inter- The meeting at Thorne was made
est was taken in the demonstration on up almost solidly of men who were
^amHing grain organized. Many of them brought
and other farm products. their wives and that is what' all
The Leeds meeting was a good ans- members should do at the meetings,
wer to the ones who had said, "that as they are just as much interested
hear of them in better condition, as the men.
Po
,Uicjans
North Dakota Should Inspect, Grade and Weigh Her Own Grain
Loss of More Than $7,700,000 To the Farmers of This
State Through Grading and Dockage Alone.
By F. 0. HELLSTROM, Bismarck
FRANK O. HELLSTROM.
of wheat that is grown on North
Dakota soil. The state pure food
commissioner should determine what
constitutes the proper ingredients of
the different grades of grain, seeds,
flour, etc., then he should be clothed
with power to fix and establish
grades, license and bond competent,
state inspectors, who shall not be
interested in the purchase or. sale of
the article inspected. Let there be a
Shown Up
te show The Churches Ferry meeting was
a
specially good one as several of
the 0
]d
line
politicians were there
state inspector -provided for every
local market where there is sufficient
interest to procure suitable scales
and housing for a state inspector.
Let the ^tate pay his salary and in
turn a fee should be charged for his
services which should be accounted
for knd turned into the state treas
ury. It should be the duty of the
inspector to properly weigh and
grade each load of grain submitted
to him for inspection, also to deter
mine the dockage and to issue a, cer
tificate under the seal of the state
certifying to the correctness thereof.
State Marketing 1*1
aoe
The, state should provide, a. public
marketing place near the Minnesota
7 a
One of the most surprising events
of the -speaking tour was the recep
tion received at Tagus,. a little town,
of scarcely two hundred people.'The
day was none too pleasant and when
1 o'clock arrived and but a score or
so of people were at the meeting the
speaker bsgan to think that this was
to be a failue. But the loyalty and
determination of our membership has
not been correctly reconed for by
the time talking began the people
streamed in and they kept streaming
ir, until the Tagus Opera House was
full. This unlooked for attendance
in so smal la place certainly was in
spiring, but it is simply a repetition
of the reception received, every where.
At Stanley the weather was beast
ly stormy and the wind blew a gale,
notwithstanding this fact a well at
tended meeting was had and new
members added,. There seems to be
a force behind this movement that
is undescribable. It is inspiring both
to the speakers and to the audiences
and everybody takes hope for a better
North Dakota.
Elevator ManSquelched
A meeting of the League was held
at Thompson on the 27th and altho
the roads were in bad shape owing
,to the storm on the previous day
there was a good attendance.
The manager of the "socalled"
farmers elevator at this point had
been opposing the League, making it
difficult for the organizer to work
earlier in the season.. He was at the
meeting and butted, in a few times.
He was finally made the laughing
stock of the crowd when his own
figures were used showing that on
every 70 bushel load of wheat sold
by the farmers there is a loss of $29
as compared with what was rece.id
for a similar load 50 years ago.
transfer and the head of the lakes,
where samples of grain certified to
by the state of North Dakota shall
be exposed for sale by a state in
spector and the grain sold under a
guarantee of grade for the benefit
of the producer. Every car of grain
consigned to either of these markets
to be inspected and graded before
it leaves the shipping point and a
properly certified stamp sent by mail
to the market. In this way North
Dakota grading and inspection can
be^puuie effective, as all grain offer
ed In, this market will be sold long
before the car arrives and the des
tination of the car can be changed
to suit the customer.
ip"STORING GRAIN"
A-writer .-in a recent issue of the
Nonpartisan Leader shows conclu
sively the folly of "storing" grata in
the elevator and holding for higher
prices! As a matter of fact the grain
is not stored *at all. It is dumped
onto the market and cold to supply
the demand, thus keeping the ptrice
down. The farmer merely gets a slip
of paper, while in he meantime the
grain combine has both the wheat
and, the money. The only way to store
wheat with the prospects of an ad
vance is to keep it off the market.
This is not done by exchanging it at
the elevator for a storage ticket.—
Bottineau Courant.
THAT'S DIFFERENT THOUGH
If a farmed should, go to Minneapo^
lis and, pay six thousand dollars for
a membership in the Chamber of
Commeerce he would be given the
glad hand by all the big financiers,
but for him to pay sis dollars for a
membership in an organization of 'S
|armers causes him to be regarded
as a sucker by the big fellows. If .'
he ghould lose his six thousand at
Minneapolis nothing would be said,
but should his six dollar organization
prove a failure he will never hear the
last of it.—Powers Lake Echo.
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