The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-03-07
EQUITY SOCIETY
WILL GET ELEVATOR
OVER $4,000 HAS ALREADY BEEN
PAID INTO TREASURY BY
NORTH DAKOTA GRAIN
PRODUCERS.

Minot, N. D., March 7.--PIans are Il
be formulated next month by tht
North Dakota branch of the American
Society Of Equity for the erection of a
terminal elevator at Duluth. Over
$4,000 has been paid into the treas
ury of the society for this purpose, and
the farmers of this section believe thai
they will be in better position than
ever to master the situation when the
the crops are harvested next fall
! The committee Entrusted with the
work. declares that under the present
system of marketing the grain the
farmer secures in the end only 32b
per cent of the ultimate value of his
grain, and that the other 67h per cent
go to the various middlemen. who
| stand between the farmer and the ulti .
mate buyer~-them ills and other man
ufacturers dependent on farm products
for raw material. 800.
Investigation has shown, declare the
farmers, that they are annually de-
prived of over one-half Of the value of
their crop by tribute paid to the big
elevators through dockage and other
means before their produce reaches the
manufactures to be turned into COM
modities for consumption.
IAN we ask" said ]. S. Murphy of
Minot, lis that the farmer be given a
chance to market his product with the
same degree OF economy as all great
producers do. The farmer Is a pro-
Queer just as much as the manufac-
turer and he should be accorded the
same facilities for marketing his pro-
ducts as are accorded manufacturers
of farm machinery, shoes or any other
products"
Would Cheaper Marketing.
The farmers have investigated
means at their disposal and claim that
they can secure storage in the govern
ment bonded warehouses at a nominal
charge of 21a cents per busheI per an
mum on their grain. With these IA
cilities, together with terminal seievat-
ors manned by employees Of the so
ciety, the farmers believe they can
reach the ultimate buyer or manufac-
turer with a minimum OF expense
It is generally estimated that the |
farmer can market his own product |
through these terminal elevators at a |
cost of less than Is per cent, while he |
Is now paying several times that
amount The farmers claim that the |
railroads grant favorable grain rates |
and that little complaint can be made |
on that score. but that through the |
present extravagant system of mark
eting the grain, the farmer is actually |
deprived of a profit legitimately his
The farmer thinks that such action
will result not only in securing cheaper
marketing of his produce, but will also |
enable him to control to some degree
1T least the price of his product. Last !
all In this section the farmers held !
heir grain in storage through a pre-
arranged agreement and they claim
hat they were benefited many thou
aid. Whether the high prices were
aid Whether theh Ugh prices were
aused by their holding the grain is a
natter of speculation, but the farmers
re content over the fact that they 1
ecured more for their grain than i'm !
revious years by this concerted ac- ]
ion.
The work Of the committee on ter I
1Ital Elevators will be watched with /
nterest over the entire 81 ,A4. I