The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-09-16
A TREMENDOUS LOSS

A TREMENDOUS .OS0
Devils Lake Journal: There is not
an elevator in the state of North Da-
kota today that is filled with grain.
There is not a crying demand any
where for "empties" from the railroads
in order that the crop may be moved.
There are miles and miles of empties'
standing on the sidetracks through
out the state waiting to be called into
service.
There is not a terminal elevator at
Minneapolis or Duluth, in Chicago or
Kansas City, that is filled with grain.
There is not mill in Minneapolis,
the Dakotas, or the state of Minnesota
that has more than few months
supply of wheat in storage.
There is no place in the whole Unit
ed States today where the market is
"Glutted" with wheat. And yet:
Within three weeks the price Of
wheat has been hammered down so
cents bushel
That is the condition today. OF
course, as the crop begins to move the
elevators will fill up, the railroads will
be taxed TO provide cars, and the big
mills will soon fill up their empty stor-
age housewife wheat which has
comparatively cost a song. And there
is nc likelihood that the price Of
wheat will be advanced until the poor
devil. who can't hold on is forced to-
part with his grain-at any price Of
fered.
Does any thinking man believe that
the decline in price, before the crop is
threshed, aye, even in the shock, is
based upon anything except the greed
and avarice of the organized gang Of
robbers who have banded together un-
der respectable sounding title for the,
purpose of stealing from the farmers
of the Northwest their hard earned
profits?
With at least 1O0,0OO,OOO busheI
wheat crop in sight in North Dakota,
the recent drop in the wheat market
means loss of from $30,000,OO0 to-
$40,000,000 to the farmers of this state,
alone Almost over night the finest
profit from wheat raising in sight for
years, has, for the time being at least.
been wiped out.
Various men will explain the situa-
ton with various explanations. The
Chamber of Commerce man will deny
any liability for this drop on the part
of the grain combine of Minneapolis,
Duluth and Chicago. The Equity sup
porters will point to the affair as con-
vincing sample of the exploitation of
the man who raises the wheat. ASIDE
from the claims of either Of these rep
resentatives of the present controversy
raging in connection with marketing
conditions in the Northwest, the aver
age man, throughout the wheat raising
states, will be struck more forcibly
than ever before with the inadequacy'
of both our marketing and credit sys-
TENS.
A vast majority of North Dakota
farmers will be compelled to sell their
grain at once on low market because
they have no other method of raising
funds to meet their obligations. No
credit arrangement insuring the loan
ing of money on grain in such man
ner as to help the farmer who needs:
such credit most sharply at this time
each year. Moreover no system Of
storing grain that will insure the grain.
being actually stored and not thrown,
on the market has as yet been devised.
The result is a loss to the farmer who
cannot afford to keep his grain in the
granary, totaling up to the tens Of mil
lions Of dollars.
Viewing the mater from an absolute
~ nonpartisan standpoint, the conclus
ion is forced home that the present
system il terribly inadequate and
wasteful and unbusinesslike from the
standpoint Of the farming interests Of
North Dakota. It would seem that the.
time is at hand when the possibilities
of the mass Of farmers, cooperating to
protect their interests, ought to be,
tested to the fullest extent.