The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1916-03-16
THE SHIPPING BILL AND FARMER
(By former Congressman John E.Kel-

Northwest Legislative COmmlCCeo.) AZ
We have heard but little lately
about the defeat of the shipping bill
that the president tried so hard to get
through congress during the crossing
days of the last session. Its defeat
however, was serious blow to the
farmers of this country, nor was there
one substantial reason why it should
be defeated, other than the shipping
trust so ordered. Senator LaFollette,
as well as the president, should be
given credit for the splendid efforts
he made to secure the passage of this
bill, the defeat of which cost the agri.
cultural interests of the country a
sum not less than $100,00O,000.
Ocean rates on grain previous to the
war averaged about cents per BUSH
ell. The average rate since the begin.
ming of the war would run about 80
cents per bushel, running as high as
81 cents, and at present, the last in
vestigation made by this writer, "a
cents to British ports per bushel. But
who are the men most responsible for
the defeat Of the shipping bill during
the late congress? There are two of
them, very prominent at the present
time in the councils of the nation
Senator Clark of Arkansas, president
pro tenn of the senate and Albert G.
Cummins, senior senator from the
great agricultural state of Iowa and
now a candidate for the presidency.
Let the Southern cotton grower re.
member Senator Clark, while they are
paying their hard earned dollars into
the Golfers of the shipping trust; let
the Northern grain grower remember
Senator Cummins, as chief among the
men who defeated the administration
shipping bill, and thereby handed them
lemon that cost them over one MIL
lion dollars.
When farmers show politicians that
they are wide awake to their interests,
the same as other business men do,
such acts as Cummins and Clark per.
formed in this instance will not hap.
pen, and not before will they cease.
About 4O0,0O0,00O bushels of grain
has been exported since the defeat of
the shipping bill, so that Csc per bush.
ell would easily make the hundred mil.
lion dollars, and all students know
the price Of the amount consumed at
home was affected by the exorbitant
ocean rates as we'll as the amount sent
abroad.
Grain prices throughout the world
have been the highest known for 40
years. Yet, owing to the shipping
trust and the American terminal ele-
vator trust, the American farmers have
been selling, in many instances, below
the cost of production. Oats sold
throughout the Northwest for more
than 100 days after the opening of the
markets this year, for rs to rs cents
per bushel, and in many instances even
less. All of this time, with the excep-
ton of just few days, American oats
sold in Liverpool 741s to rs cents for
80 lbs. New clipped, Amer. Liv. As lbs.
As Az to As 3d." Thus, while Ameri-
can oats sold in Liverpool for rs cents
per bushel and the American farmers
were getting at the same time but an
average of Csc, who got the remaining
SOC per bushel? Here are the figures:
the market raiders got % cents per
bushel of it and the shipping trust took
Is cents per bushel in addition often
to the regular rates before the war.
The other lie per bushel were absorb.
ed in local elevator rates, lake rates,
insurance, overseas and locally. The
government furnishes the insurance,
which has averaged 1c to British ports
down to Il and a to non belligerent
countries. So that insurance is low
and within reach Of all.
Accordingly, while the consumer in
England paid an average of 75c per
bushel for American oats, the Ameri.
can farmers got an average for the first
100 days following the opening of the
market last fall, Of rs cents per bush.
ell, or but one third of the real value
of his crop.
OF the SOC per bushel taken from
the farmers from II to 13 cents only
could by any possibility be fairly
charged, even during war times. to
legitimate expenses and legitimate
profits. The remaining 81 cents per
bushel represents clear plumber divid-
ed up between the American grain
spectators and the foreign shipping
trust, above indicated.
A short time before the war the
Minneapolis Journal made comment
upon the fact that the spread between
%