Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-02-20
Wooden Mills,

EDITOR lR1BCNE: why DON'T our leglS-
lature pass a law to encourage wooden fac
tories in North Dakota?
A great deal of money has been spent in
trying to give farmers elevator privileges
for shipping their wheat, and a large
amount of wind has been wasted to induce
congress to experiment on a system of
cheap irrigation for the farmers of our
state. But nothing has been done to en-
courage manufacturers to come into North
Dakota and establish wooden mills for the
manufacture of WOODEN and knit goods.
The export Of wool from our state is des-
tined soon to become second only to
wheat, if it is not already that, at the
present rate of increase in sheep. We pay
the freight on the raw wool down to
Massachusetts: we pay the foreign manu-
facturer 70 keep a big mill and skilled
operatives down there tnereby building
mp fine manufacturing towns in the east;
We pay the operative to make the goods;
we pay the manufacturer his profit; we
pay the jobber his profit ON the manufac-
tured goods. and then we pay the freight
on the goods clear back to North Dakota
before we can put the manufactured
wOUlenS ON our backs to wear them. And
the result OF it all is that We DakotanS are
as "poor as jobs turkey" while we give
away all of our substance to make those
eastern towns rich.
We literally keep our noses to the grind
stone to fattrn eastern capitalists and build
up small eastern villages into thriving cit
les. where thousands Of operatives are EN-
plOyed to manufacture wooden goods to
send back to the Impoverished people of
North Dakota: We appear to be lacking
in brains and enterprise; too poor. or too
shi!tless and helpless, to keep our raw
wool at home and put the manufacturers
profits into our pockets and build up
our OWL towns. There ought to be at least
half IL dozen wooden mills in North Dakotl
to-day. Grand Forks, Fargo. W%ahpeton,
Jamestown M Bismarck could each have
a factory II they would sell all the goods
they could turn out. The wholesale houses
of Minneapolis and st. Paul would be glad
to take the manufactured woolens direct
from the factories of North Dakota. James
town has arttSian water power strong
enough to run a WOODEN knit goods factory
without steam.
Now what can our legislature do to build
up local WOUlrn factories III this state?
First, authorize incorporated towns to
vote for free taxes for ten years Tor TWEEN.
ty) to any individual or firm who VIII in
vest. say S25,OOO, in a woelen factory
p ant.
Second, authorize county commissioners
to vote them freedom from all county and
state taxes for a like period.
Third, let the state offer a bonus of one
cent a yard on the first hundred thousand
yards OF cloth Tor garmentS) per annum
for five years, to the first six worlen iacto.
rieS established and operated under the
law. 1t would be far cheaper for our state
to pay this royalty than for everybody in
North Dakota to continue paying the enor
mons rhyaltv tn paStprD foptnr1nc and rail.
road treights. as we are all now doing.
There are 1870, 900 people in this state, and
estimating the value of wooden goods worm
by each citizen per annum at IS apiece,
which is a very low estimate, our citizens
wear out 81, 1850, 900 worth of WOODEN goods
every year. Now the eastern freight on
the raw wool d per cent? }, the wages paid
to the operatives 40 per cent. }, the manu-
facturers' profit go per cent. J, the iobbers'
profit (25 per Cent J, and the return freight
Is per cent? would show that our exported
raw wool has increased in value is per
cent. when it comes back to the consumer.
In other words, when WI import wooden
out to eastern parties over 100000, Which
ought to be kept right here in North Da-
kOta. And then we grOan about "hard
times" Ought we not to legislate to keep
this 100000 at home in our own pockets ?
The fact is, the above estimate OF IS per
Ccut. AlClcdotu CO5G vi Gl6 raw
wool is a very low estimate,
for our farmers get from IA to
Is cents per pound for their wool, but
| when it comes back from the east they
have to pay from one dollar to three a
a pound for the manufactured wooden
cloth. just think OF 1t, the farmer gets
from IA to Is cents a pound for raw wool,
and he has to pay from 500 to 1900 per
cent. a pound profit to eastern handlers.
before lie can put it on his back.
Now, would it not be sensible for Our
legislature to allow a royalty OF $1,000 to
$4,000 a year for a limited time to some
halt a dozen home factories (say a total of
$4,000 or $l5,O00) rather than to continue
| this suicidal payment of 100000 per an
nun to eastern handlers for which We
get no return and IS IA dead loss to us?
If some mehfber of our legislature will
push a bill through that body during this
session to encourage manufacturers to
open wooden factories in this state, he will
earn the thanks of every loyal citizen of
North Dakota. GRIFFIN & Co.
Jamestown, N. D., Feb. IA, 1890.
We recommend the use of Angostura
Bitters to our friends who suffer with dys.
| ,,Ancia h,rt pnl v fha uonnino ,nan,foo tn rod