Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1884-11-20

WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH
OUR GRAIN


It is an evident fact that the erait
Yield Of this section the pr,seg; year ha
been large. 1t is still more evident fac
that the circulation Of money i'll this see
ton Of country is very limited; the ques
ton arises how can the surplus Of TIN
grain be converted INFO money so as t,
reimburse the producers of the country
The grain market at Portland is low in
price, bu, nevertheless, it would bring a
remuneratiye price to the farmer if the
means Of transportation were adequate
aud rapid. As matters now stand there
Is not more than ouc-sixth of the means
Of transportation within the season cor
responding with the surplus crop, and the
farmers are compelled to leave their crops
in the granary or take their chances by
hauling it to exposed places along the
river at different landings and awaiting
Its turn for shipment to market. This
waiting may haze to continue from one
week to eight. when the river is closed.
and some may have to wait til, navigation
opens in the spring, Meantime the grain
is liable to suffer from moisture, wasted
and rattase and its expenses be increased
by care during the winter, and wharfage
and. storage, with no certainty that the
price Of grain in the markets below will
be increased by the delay. These fact.
show that the people of this section OF
country absolutely need competition in
transportation facilities, or that the pres
ent men engaged in transportation largely
increase their facilities for supplying the
wants of the country. .1he acreage har
vested this year is not one tenth of what
1t would have been had the people been
certain that they could get their grain to
market and get remunerative return
therefore. 1t is estimated that the sur
plus product this year, of the country
tributary to navigation on Snake river,
between Lewiston and Riparia has not
been less than seventy-fye thousand tons
OF grain. There is now no probability |
that to exceed II thousand tons will have
been shipped, of the present harvest, be-
fore the 10Th Of December, the time when
the navigation is likely to be closed by
ice, leaving over sixty thousand tons of
unshipped gain in this section of country
at the close Of navigation. At the pres
ont price of wheat delivered at the land
ings on Snake river, 40 cents per bushel,
which is a little above the average. there
will remain unshipped from the country
a valuation in grain of over 1892 900.
Distribute that amount of money among
our farmers and producers before the first
Of January and every man, woman and
child in the country would have enough
to pay all Of their indebtedness, and
with which to commence the
abors OF another year. And if the price
,f grain was 80 cents per brshel instead
ot 40 cents they would have one.fourth
more as surplus, which would n.ble |
every man to have surplus of money
N his pocket Who then can say that
we, of this section, have transportation
equal to our real necessities for transnor-
alton from this section of country. We
nave been foiled in many WAYS while
'ther sections Of far less value have been
imply supplied through misrepresen,a,
ION OF the character and capacity of this
ection of country for grain raising. The
Iucry now is with many who have made
heir homes and their improvements upon
he lands of this section, how long shall
re have to wait before railroad or other
aeans OF transportation shall come to our
eilet? Win it be during the lifetime of
no average man, or will capital find it to
IS advantage to furnish us these within
he period of two or three years. If the
liter, our people can well afford to abide
ne time, hut if the former we cannot
lame them if they seek other localities
here their labor can receive ADEQUATE
- e.zSzz-1