Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-07-02
HOME DEFENSE
LEAGUE PLAN
IS DISCUSSED
Commercial Club Directors
Take up Proposition
For City.
COAL SUPPLY IS
SERIOUS MATTER
State Officials Enforcing
Auto License Law Are
Not Popular.

The organization of a Home De
Tense League, the coal problem and
the question Of Kidding farms of noxi-
II weeds were matters discussed at
the weekly MONDAY dinner of the d.
rectors Of the Commercial club today.
The war commission Of the club were
invited guests and DR.. II. H. }Chown
of Winnipeg was a special guest.
Reports were received of n work
ings Of home defense organizations In
other cities and it was stated tina the
sheriff would be ready to work hand
in hand with such an organization SO
far as making members Of the league
deputy sheriffs, that they might be
given necessary authority, in case they
were ever called upon for policing
DR.. Chown told of the troubles OF
the western Canadian provinces ana
particularly the towns. since the with
drawal of SO large a proportion Of the
loyal citizenship for war service. He
said he vas pleased that he United
States had taken up the matter OF
raising an army by CONSUMPTION at the
outset, as Canada had found that was
the best and most just method. The
fact that so many workers had been
brought in from the United States
had enabled Canada to save her crops
last year, but this it would be neces-
sary for the business men to close
their places of business or to release
a sufficient number of employees to see
that the crops were taken care OF
and he intimated that it would be
found wise for the people of the states
to organize to taxi care of the farm
problem at harvest time to avoid
troubles Of various kinds. you will
be wise to ascertain just what your
resources are at the earliest possible
date. 80 that you will be able to meet
conditions as they arise he said in
conclusion.
H. K. Geist reported that the bak-
ers Of the state were working with
the national council Of defense In
their efforts to prevent waste.
The concensus Of opinion of several
speakers was that it would be wise
for consumers Of coal to put in their
supplies as early as possible, as the
great question apparently was not the
price to be paid but to get a supply
at all.
James H. Griffin, division freight
agent of the Great Northern railroad
said it was his belief that there was
certain to be a shortage in the fal
and that the railroads of the north
west had already put in as large sup
plies as possible, taking every ton o;
coal offered at the Duluth docks. TIL
University of North Dakota has pu
in a large amount of bituminous ant
is supplementing this with a larg
quantity from the North Dakota fields
General Manager Brown said tn
t Red River Power company had mad
contracts for Ignite to be used from
July / to January 1 and was putting
aside all Of the bituminous coal the,
could secure for the colder white
months of January, February an
} March.
There was considerable feeling ex
, pressed at the methods being pur
sued by state officials in enforcing tn
state automobile license law agains
farmers and others who drive int
the city. It was the general feelin
: that these men should not be take
up and heavily fined as a first warn
ing but should be given an opportuni
ty to comply with the t~echnicalities Q
the law, of which many were not full
! informed.
A committee was appointed to Sc
cure the requisite number of sigma
lures to a petition to require tn
. board Of county commissioners t
employ weeds commissioners to Sc
that the farmers Of the county CON
piled with the law regarding h kill
ing of noxious weeds before tn
weeds went to seed.