Arizona republican., 1912-06-09

 IN MANITOBA
 WAS FAILURE
Collapse of Government S Paternal Project to Mon opolize Grain Business; It Cost the Taxpayers $1,OOO,OOO

l aided throughout the United States and the plea of the government owns the grain elevators" was made
 d cord with which to draw thou
 sands of American farmers to the 1 Canadian northwest.
 Some days ago the grain commis- | sion of the province made the flat announcement that the government l operation vas a complete failure. or
 dered the dischargal of practically all l the employees, and offered the entire ! line of l72 elevators for sale The government elevators will go out of l business on August 31 and thousands ] of American farmers in western Can ada will lose their 1912 wheat crops l Millions Of bushels of 1911 wheat are said tO yet be lying on the bare ground in the western provinces. wet. soggy and ruined. and many more millions will this year go the same route. IL took the state just two years to demonstrate it's inability to successfully compete with the privately owned elevators. and it is charged by the opposition that the entire investment of more than million dollars will be lost to the l'' ''l'l' VI bil' I)IPN llltt', WHO VIII nave
 to pay the bonds when they fall
 due. The statement is made by
 grain men that the plant is worth
 not more than 25 Der cent of the
 sum for which it was loaded on to
 the government. The business has
 has been carried on at heavy loss
 from the beginning and there has
 not been at my time a clear pros
 pect that the venture would be
 converted into q definite success
 The announcement that the affairs
 of the state concern are to be wound
 up on August 31 was made by the
 chairman. D. W. McCuaig
 Two years ago there was an agi-
 tation for government elevators. T
 took the voice of the demagogue for
 the voice of the people" said Pre-
 mier Robin. Before parliament the
 premier stated. The elevator prop
 osition grew out of an agitation in
 this country certain number of
 men went up and down and led
 many farmers to believe that great
 wrongs were being perpetrated by
 the private concerns. and that the panacea lay in government owned elevators I took the voice of the demasogue for the voice of the peo- pie. I have since learned I was mis- taken
 At that time the government pur- chased 162 elevators in different parts of the province. Ten new ele- 1 vators were constructed by the state i concern. The annual report sub mitted to parliament shows that | $1,001,342 were expended by the pro- vince before the elevators were ready l for a bushel of grain
 Last year there was deficit of l. $84,145 in it's operation. The deficit ] for this year will be even greater 1 This includes nothing for deteriora- tion of the plants, interest on the [ investment nor loss of tlxes. had the 172 elevators belonged to private concerns.
 The charge is made that all sorts of old, worn out, unstable and un- profitable elevators were unloaded on the government agents at eX- prices, but that owners did not sell their lines upon which they were making money In many towns the government, in order to secure l monopoly, purchased several eleva- IOES- AL lIe town or NlTuen lnt state took oyer three elevators At Binscarth there were four Crystal City three, ElVa three. Shoal Lake five. In Fl towns there were T elevators purchased by the govern ment.
 Although when purchased, many of these elevators were out of repair and worn out, practically nothing was done at remOdeling them last year.
 The refusal of farmers to patron Ze the government concern is given ls the reason for it's failure. But nothing is said as to reasons of the producers. At Souris 5 car loads of wheat were shipped. Just one of these passed through the gov arnment elevator.
 Political intrigue. reckless extrav- lgance and gross mismanagement mark every step of the sad and sorry career of government owned ele yators in Manitoba" says the Win 1ipeg Free Press ''The taxpayers )f the province may consider the million dollars invested in the ele Sators as absolutely lost" editorialy says the same paper
 c. D. McPhersOn, member of par { lament, said officially: "There was title to be surprised at in the fact hat the scheme was so complete d 
 Summing the situation, the Free Press editOrially says: Whatever he outcome of all these rumOrs and negotiations may be- one thing is Manitoba elevator com { mission has been a ghastly failure, ] lnd the farmers of Manitoba are to- lay confronted with an elevator sys- em which is practically imperative ] lnd with no prospects of any ade- tuate provisions being made for the { rop of 1912, and this, too in the { ace of an enormous expenditure of ] money to secure the same" {
 The state system made no effort ! O return a profit. Its sponsors de !
 Jared only expenses were sought to l 'e covered by the operation. The