Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1906-05-04
Progress 81 the Doukhobor Communit,

4 grimage to Canada, says the Winnipeg
4 Free Press, three years and a half
i have passed. Those years have been
marked with momentous changes in
the attitude Of the Doukhabors. not in
their religious beliefs. but in their re-
Ilations to Canadian usage and custom.
4 The principal cause contributing to
this change of attitude has been the
i personality of their leader. Peter We're
i gin, who arrived in Western Canada,
after fifteen years impri sonment in ST.
IBERIA. the spring after the Pilgrimage
4 Veregin has proved himself an acute,
resourceful; leader to the community
The manner in which he induced his
i people to utilize every modern labor
saving invention, and to reap all the
advantages of organization and coop
Grafton is a story imperfectly known.
i Veregin made even the Doukhobor
4 prejudices stepping stones to their ag-
ricultural and financial advancement
Many of the ex-pilgrims objected to
working horses on the land. Very
well," said Veregin, then we will
buy steam engines to pillow with, and
do the other work. and the result Of
this shrewd solution Of difficulty is
that no community Of farmers any
/
ter labor-saving machinery than the
SDoukhobors. Some of them objected
to men of their beliefs being mer-
and individual profit being antagonis-
Veregin took advantage of these con-
victions to establish cooperative
stores, buying at wholesale in Winni-
peg and the east large stocks Of all
necessities, getting big discounts, and
enabling his people to buy standard
farm commodities cheaply.
Under Peter veregin's leadership
the Doukhobors have become one Of
the most remarkable communities ex-
listing in the world today, doing bust
ness on the most modern and business
like methods. OF this Wednesdays
Free Press afforded most striking
proof, for it contained more than three
columns of closely printed matter, the
report of the annual meeting of all
| the Doukhobor communities. This was
| inserted by them as an advertisement
| ir order that the people of Canada
might be informed as to their pro-
press and present conditions. The an
nual meeting nj question, was regular
| ly constituted, three delegates two
men and one woman-being present
from each of the forty-four villages,
| and the mine members of the execu-
tive committee. The report, which is
done into quaint, archaic English,
of community life, the Doukhobors
goods, and have, by the system of bulk
| r,Y1 ahoc off q "a COZ
ing of over $15O,O00 It gives a num-
Der of, examples of the economies made
by this means. The executive commit
tee was reelected, with some addi-
tons. The meeting decided that in
future horses should not be worked
when the temperature was lower than
20 degrees Reaumur (13 degrees Fahr.)
to build a -four warehouse at Yorkton,
and a flour and oatmeal mill at We're
gin and to purchase 100 more teams of
horses. The matter of the erection
lof a Doukhobor hospital was discussed,
but action was postponed until itcould
be referred to the several villages. It
was further decided that a number OF
large railway contracts should be
taken during the present season, and
the executive was instructed to pur-
chase oats, scrapers, wheelbarrows,
shovels and other supplies and equip
ment, for this purpose.
4 The cash account of the Doukhobor
communities is an interesting and
/. satisfactory financial statement The
income Of the communities as bust
ness concern amounted to $50, 600
and their expenditures to almost half
4 a million. OF the income, some $114,-
900 was received from the villages,
and $75,600 from land sales, sales OF
senaga root-this item alone aggre-
gated over $4,000 and payments for
threshing grain. The expenditure is
divided into five classes. The first
a: deals with land, and totals SEE, S41
Among the items may be mentioned
entry fees for homesteads $6,86O, and
the third payment on the block of land
. bought near Vernoe, $13,275. The sum
of $1,50S was spent on oxen and
horses, very few purchases being
q necessary, on account of the large
number bought the previous year, hui
y the implement and machinery account
was very large, totalling $50, Jos. Six
8 plowing engines were bought, and
q three threshing engines and separa-
tors. Thirty-eight binders, So mowers
/; 20 disc harroWs, Sc wagons, 25 seed
drills, 40 sleighs, Az pumps, II game
]. plows, so walking plows, 80 900 pounds
of Manila Irvine these are some of the
1 items. The dry goods and commodity
& account is even more imposing. The
dry goods account was $31 ,695, the
!, hardware and crockery SI3,95 t1le
footwear S5,961, the groceries s5,941
\ The sundries account shows in what
z up-to-date manner the Doukhobors
Il now do business. Included therein ii
the repayment of a loan to the Bank o
Il British North America, $500; teIe
) grams $51 .36; exchange on cheques
I $46.25; while stationery and postage
4 commissions on sales, school and roas
5 taxes and other such items make thi
account look like that of, the mos
3 modern business concern ncidentaIly
/ this account bears evidence Of L til
8 splendid standing Of the Doukhobor
j among CANADA financial inst itutions
/. for the s50,500 loan mentioned thereil
s was secured from the bank at 4 pc
n caYff frast How ms nv on IIYe