The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-10-22
FARMERS PROTEST
Circular Letter Which Explains Move
of Merchant Marine League
Must Be Blocked.

Do the farmers of this county want
to see the price of exporting wheat
advanced and the price of that staple
! lowered accordingly? If not it seems
they will do well to protest against
the attempt of the Merchant Marine
league to bar foreign ships from hand.
ling wheat.
A circular letter bearing upon this
subject has just been sent out by the
Interior Warehouse company of Port
land to the agents of that company,
who are now laying the subject before
the farmers.
H. W. Collins. manager for the
company for this county, has for
warded copy of the circular to @. A.
Barrett Of this city. president of the
county graingrowers' association. His
letter and the circular, both Of which
are self. explanatory, ale given below:
October IS. 1909.
9. A. Barrett, ESQ.,,
Athena, Ore.
Dear Sir:--
We are sending you herewith sever
al copies of a circular letter regarding
an effort, which, If successful will
practically result in foreign steamers
not being available for shipment of
wheat and barley to Europe from
Portland or Puget Sound points.
These steamers have been an Import
ant factor during recent years in keep
ing down the cost of shipping wheat
to Europe, and 1t is certainly true that
freight rates would be higher now if
these steamers had not been available.
1t is question In which farmers
are vitality interested, and you might
put the matter up to some of them
and see if they are interested enough
to protest against this movement. II
they are, we can have forms prepared
for that purpose and sent to different
towns throug bout the county for sig
Batures, or if you would care to draw
up form of protest we would be glad
to help it, In case anything is done
along these lines we will agree to see
that such protests are forwarded to
the proper authorities at Washington,
D. @. Yours very truly,
INTERIOR WAREHOUSE 90.
BY FL. w. Collins. Agent.
Portland, Ore, Oct. IA, 1909.
To Farmers and Graingrowers: AT a
meeting of the Merchant Marine
league Of Seattle. the other day it was
announced that they had been able.
on showing made of the damage
done to coast shipping by foreign YES
sells bringing out coal from the Allan
tic for The navy, to have it arranged
with the secretary of the navy that in
future all such vessels would have to
return to their original loading port
in ballast. SO as not to conflict with
the traffic of coast vessels.
The facts are that with the exception
of one or two steamers, which loaded
in the orient, and in so doing benefit
ted the lumber trade. all these steam
ers have been engaged to carry wheat
to Europe. business that none of the
coast vessels engage in, and had it not
been for the presence iof these same
coal vessels in the market, it is safe
to say that freights to Europe would
have been at least 81 per ton more
than they have ruled so far this sea-
son. This would have meant three
cents less per bushel to every farmer
who has marketed his wheat. So far
this season fourteen foreign steamers
have been taken to carry wheat of
capacity of $4,000. tons or about
2,500,000 bushels.
The question for the farmer there
fore is, is he to stand by without pro-
test and SOC such policy put into
effect for the possible benefit az most
of very limited number of individ-
uals who happen to be interested in
the shipping business. 1t is case of
protection run riot. only in this case
it is not the consumer but the produc-
or that is being oinched.
This is a matter that all oranges and
farmers organizations should take up
and ventilate thoroughly.