Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1891-08-14
NORTH DAKOTA.
The Elevator Situation,

elevator companies and the North
Dakota railroad commissioners is
stirring up considerable interest or
the Dakota end of the line, and ad
vices of q recent death are that Grand
Forks business men see danger to gen
eral business interests if the policy
outlined by the commissioners is push.
ed to the limit. So far as Minneapo.
lis is concerned there is no general in.
teresr outside of grain circles, and the
desire of iobbers that farmers get all
possible for their wheat and not be
subjected to any losses on account OF
a lack OF storage facilities.
The dispatch to the associated
press from Grand Forks announcing
that the railroad commission would
( insist on all elevators being run as
public, did not excite much comment
from the elevator companies, for they
ridicule suggestion that q state can
compel them to run their private pro-
perty against their wishes, and so
they say they will simply run as pri-
vate elevators and pay the farmers
the market price for wheat. There is
to be no disturbance so far as they
are concerned, and they apparently
do not think the commission is sin
cere, and they refer to the position
taken by it as "bluff."
The Grand Forks Herald of the 10th
inst. contains long editorial on the
imbrogio. 1t announces its opinion
that the plan of the commission cam
not be carried out, and intimates that
it.would., d.,work against the farmer. After
summarizing the enewspaper comments
relative to the trouble, printed last
week, it says:
At the meeting OF the railroad COM
missioners held Ill this city yesterday,
President E. c. d. Shortridge of the
state farmers Alliance was present,
and virtually pledged the alliance or.
ganizatlons of the state to cooperate
with the commissioners in an effort to
handle the wheat crop in case the ele-
vator companies persist in their refu-
sal to accede to the rules adopted by
the board for the regulation OF ware
houses. The elevator COM
panies announce their intention of on.
Grating as private warehouses only,
buying wheat at the market price,
which loses to the farmers all advan.
tage of the storage system.
The commissioners meet this
proposition of elevators with
the counter announcement that
the laws of North Dakota decla that
all elevators where grain is bought,
stored or shipped, are public ware.
houses, and cannot be operated as
private warehouses. 1t is understood
that the attorney general sustains the
commissioners in their Interpretation
OF the law in all points, and that it is
upon his advice that they propose to
enforce the laws, enjoin the first prj-
vate elevator that attempts to buy
wheat, and to bring the constitution
ality of the elevator laws to judicial
determination as speedily as possible,
to the end that constitutional, they
may be vigorously enforced, and if
tive, that tsey may be so amenned
hereafter as shall appear expedient.
This program contemplates, OF course,
that pending the decision OF the courts,
the immense wheat crop just about
coming into market must be handled
Independently of the elevators. To
assure the board of cooperation on
the part OF the alliance in
this matter was the subject
of President shortridge's con-
ference with the commissioners.
The commissioners express the
hope that by q general understanding
all around and mutual forbearanc ce
on the part of those farmers most
anxious to market their wheat at
once, that cars can be secured fast
enough to handle that crop by prl-
vate shipment. To relieve the situa-
tion as much as possible it is under
stood that President Shortridge will
issue a circular during the present
week to the members Of the alliance,
setting forth the status OF the eleva-
tor imbroglio and urging all farmers
to build granaries on their farms for
storing their wheat until cars can be-
had. Incidentally this urgent advice
to build granaries on the farm will re-
suit in great good, as it will tend to
induce the farmers to 30 arrange their
business thatno obligations will COM
pei them to sell, their wheat until they
get ready, but, in the judgment Of the
Herald, it is exceedingly doubtful if
the commissioners can solve the eprob-
lem in this way. The Herald cannot
avoid believing that closing the eleva.
tors must result IN disastrous wheat
blockade, The crop is immense and
farmers as a general rule, will be COM
PEELED to rush at least a por-
tion of their wheat into market
at once. The Herald does not
believe that private shipment, farmers
loading directly into cars from their
/ wagons, will prove sufficiently expedi-
tious either to avoid a blockade or to
satisfy the necessities OF the farmers.
1t is extremely unfortunate that, pend
ing the action OF the courts, thefarm-
ers must hb deprived of the conven-
iences OF the elevator system which
the laws are designed to secure rather
than to abolish. Furthermore, it is
more than doubtful, in the opinion of
the Herald, whether the legislature is
authorized to enact laws compelling
elevator companies to operate as pub
lie warehouses only. But be that as
as it may, the laws are supposed to
go into operation Aug. I, so that the
experiment OF inspection at points on
the state line must be undertaken.
While the Herald heartily seconds and
indorses the desire of the commission
ers to establish North Dakota grades
in the general market and believes
that, is successful, the establishment
OF ouch grades would add to the
price of our wheat. There yet
seems to be difficulties that
are practically insurmountable
in the system of inspection proposed.
At the outset, as trains are scheduled
at the present time, all wheat trains
would have to be held at the inspec.
ton points until daylight, involving q
delay Of six to nine hours in the great
majority OF cases. True, the time
cards might be overhauled so that
trains could arrive at and depart
from inspection points in the day
time, but it is no inconsiderable un.
dertaking, as the commissioners will
find, to secure such a. raviaion of