The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1907-10-03
and 1 would be living away out in the

| ~AAANoAS VI ASs kAAA1h ~ SSSA "0o
making biographies now he would
have to revise his maps. I spent
nearly week wandering over the old
home, hunting for the print of my
bare feet when child, but my search
was in vain; they were all washed
out.
We have Travelled quite extensively
over this eastern country. Eastern
Ohio and Western Pennsylvania is a
wonderful manufacturing country.
Some of the largest steel and plate
glass factories in the world are located
here. 1t is amazing to see the activity
manifested in this great manufacturing
center. Pittsburg and all the towns
surrounding it for many miles, is one
immense bee hive of industry. The
amount of coal and natural gas greatly
increases the facilities for manufactur-
ing. Many of the great factories use
natural gas for fuel and nearly all the
cities are lighted and heated with it. 1
never question the wisdom of the AL
mighty, but one cannot help wondering
why, when He supplied this country so
abundantly with timber and coal, that
He didn't give US western people the
natural gas. When one sees the scores
of trains every day, many of them
nearly mile long loaded with coal and
all headed westward, we are led to in
quire why we people in the northwest
can't get our coal a little cheaper. 1
presume the coal barons could answer
the question.
We spent a week in our former home
town Freeport, near Pittsburg, which we
left twenty years ago. Many important
changes have taken place in that time.
l observed one thing that had not
changed much that is the "booze fac
tory" One of the largest distilleries
in the United States is located here.
There has been one hundred and eigh-
teen barrels of whiskey made here every
day for more than thirty years. But
there is one thing that can be placed
to the credit of the people. Although
Uncle Sam himself is partner in the
business, he can't sell any Of it here
by the drink. It is a prohibition town.
No licensed saloons permitted in the
town nor within two and half miles
of the city limits. It has been a pro-
hibition town for more than fifty
years. Many find the situation similar
to that of the stranded mariner on the
ocean: "Whiskey; whiskey every
where and not drop to drink. I" There
is one thing connected with the business
that hardly seems consistent. They
employ large force of men yet they
will not keep a man in their employ
that will get drunk.
The crops in this country are rather
poor on account of the cold wet summer.
Fruit is also quite scarce. The scare
ity of farm labor is serious problem
that is confronting the farmers of this
country. Many farms are lying idle
and growing up to bushes for the rea-
son that there is no one to work them.
The farmers boys nearly all leave
the farms as soon as they are old
enough to earn wages at the public
works and it is almost impossible to
hire any one to labor on a farm.
The big wages and short hours draw
all the laboring men to the public
works.
guess some of our North Dakota
boys would be amused to see how they
farm in this country. Little four
acre fields; they use two horses and a
walking plow and little two horse drills
about five feet wide. There are thous-
ands of people in this country that
never saw a gang plow. Ten acres is
considered very large wheat field.