The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-06-12
POTATOES MAY
Be GIVEN AWAY
PRODUCE MEN EVOLVE CHARITY
SCHEME AND APPOINT COM
MITTEE TO INTEREST RAIL.
RoADs-2oo CARS OLD STOCK ON
TRACK AND NO DEMAND.

Minneapolis Journal: With 100,-
900 bushels of potatoes spelling on
track in Minneapolis and an appalling
waste of food material threatened in
the most extraordinary glut of old
crop potatoes ever developed in the
northwest, the Minneapolis Produce ex-
change, at a meeting today, appointed
a committee, of which H. A. Baltuff
is chairman, to confer with railroad
officials on the proposition that the
potatoes be given to the charitable
institutions of the city, provided the
railroads cancel the freight charges.
D.. e. Ryan & Co, j.. G. Famechon &
Co., Garley-Wolter, Co., Barlow, Hull
& Co., C. E. Healy & Co. and other
Minneapolis c~onsignees were repre-
scented.
Sec. w. B. Mccormack presided In
the absence of Pres. S. G. Palmer Of
the exchange, and the committee was
instructed to confer today with Traffic
Manager j. G. Woodwork Of the
Northern Pacific. Vice President w. p.
Kenney of the Great Northern, Traffic
Manager S. g. Lutz of the Minneapolis
& st. Louis, Assistant General Freight
Agent A. M. Fenton of the Omaha and
General Freight Agent T. A. Sands of
the 500. Il
To Be Given Away or Dumped.
If the railroads agree to remission
Of the charges, orders for delivery of
the potatoes to charitable institutions
will be issued. Unless prompt action
is taken, Secretary. Mccormack point
ed out to produce exchange. members
today, a mountain of potatoes, shipped
into Minneapolis from the producing
sections of Minnesota and North Da-
kota will have to be dumped. =.
f With SyacfaV5a uSc 40 rlry :, rI-nf -
the neighborhood of AZ cents for old
potatoes on track, compared with 81 TO
$1.25 for the arriving new stock from
the south, it was impossible to make
sales, and today, when business began
along commission row, prices of so
cents a bushel were heard, then %
cents, hen 20 cents, then % cents,
then 20 cents, and at 1 p. m. no sales
had been effected sufficiently large to
make an appreciate decrease in the.
supply.
200 Cars on Track.
In the Lyndale yards of the Great
Northern road, 100 cars of potatoes
are on track, and the remainder of the
200 or more cars here are on Northern
Pacific, Omaha and Minneapolis & st.
Louis tracks. The 500 line has a
number Of cars and the Milwaukee a
few.
r. A. Sevey of the J. G.. Framechon
Co.. and former president of the Min
nesota Potato Growers and Shippers
association, pronounced the situation
unprecedented. THE new crop coming
up from Texas is short, and was ex-
pected to be late" Mr.. Sevey said.
Some weeks g old stock rose from
about u to 80 cents. 1t seemed as
if every holder of old stock In the.
northwest began to ship. Receipts ran
heavy and each day there was a carry
over. New stock began to come and
demand turned. to new stock even ut
higher prices. Accumulation began
that has now reached enormous pro-
portions. Receiving firms have made
heroic efforts to unload. Either the
potatoes must be given away or they
will. rot
Unstable at Any Price.
d. E. Ryan of D. E. Ryan s. CO.
said that if the cars could be moved
at Is cents a bushel, Minneapolis
shippers, whose average freight rate
is to 5 cents a bushel, might get
something out of 1t, but the margin
would be so close for North Dakota
shippers, with 8 to 10 cent rates. that
there would be practically nothing
left. But the potatoes cannot be sold
even at these prices Mr.. Ryan said.
ut is a case of letting them rot. 81,
giving them to charity. But il tho
shippers. in addition to losing their
shipments, have to pay the freight
charges, it will be a tough proposi.
Etion."