The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-03-22
STATE OWNED FLOUR MILLS.

What, in your judgment, would farmers realize per bushel for
their wheat if milled in the state and sold as flour as against the
present method of selling it as-wheat?
One miller answered promptly, "en cents a bushel.' The
other said it would be that much or more.
To the question, can the state engage in the milling industry
with safety?
Both answered in the affirmative, though they agreed that the
business should grow up gradually and not entered into with a
rush They also agreed that some arrangement would have to
be made so that those now engaged in the milling business would
not suffer loss.
Their views stated in brief may be summed up as follows:
1. A saving of ten cents a bushel on an average sc, 1000 900
bushel crop would amount to %$8,000,O00. If half of this sum re-
verted to the farmers and the other half to the state the farmers
would be 100000 better off and the other $4,000, 900 profit
would practically run the state government without burdensome
taxes and yet eventually pay the cost of construction, operation,
2. Having a natural monopoly Of hard spring wheat, North
Dakota Hour would not only command a premium in the flour mar
kt, but it would have no serious competitors to fear. Eastern
millers could not crush the industry by competition, since they
could not secure large quantities of hard wheat.
3. The state should begin by building a single unit, say at
Fargo and then add to it from year to year until eventually the
plant would take care of all the wheat of the state, employing in
the mean time the most expert mners in the United States to man.
age and superintend the business.
4. The state should be prepared to issue bonds from time to
time in denominations that would be within reach of small inves-
tors for the purpose of charging the plant in order to meet the
needs of the growing milling industry until one or more milling
centers, all constructed of fire proof buildings, would grind pract-
icaly all the wheat grown for export in the state.
This would of course be a big undertaking, but is it an impos-
sibiity? Is it an impossible undertaking?
Do the miners in question reason logically?
The stock argument against state owned utilities is the fear
that politics or mismanagement will ruin the business.
Not necessarily.
A state utility, such as a flour mill or packing plant for in
stance, superintendent by experts employed for that purpose and
under the financial oversight of honest state officials, with thous-
ands OF stockholders interested in~its proper management, at least
could be made as profitable as a corporation controlled plant, and
the latter seems to be exceptionally prosperous.
In a way every citizen taxpayer would be an interested stock
holder.
But the ten cents advance per bushel that farmers have a right
to expect above what they would otherwise receive must not be
Overlooked.
If there is any truth in the claims that ten cents a bushel ex-
ira may be realized, and there unquestionably is, then our farmers
are losing from seven to ten million dollars every year. This on
the price of the grain without taking into account the value of
the b%i-products such as bran, shorts and dockage which kept in
the state and fed to livestock would add immensely to the farmers
revenue and insure the necessary fertility to maintain the pro-
ductivty of the soil.
There is a veritable army of men in Minneapolis, Chicago and
Duluth that live in luxury-many of them many times MILTON
they draw their substance entirely from eur North Da-
kota grain. If a considerable portion Of this wealth can be kept
within the state and distributed among our own farmers and
merchants it would be more than worth while. The very fast
that there is a possibility Of great improvement in this directian
should be given serious investigation.
There should be a remedy for present market conditions.
The farmers say "give us state owned mills"
What do you say? H
Let us argue this proposition out to a logical conclusion.
Opposing arguments are as welcome as those in favor of stated
owend mills. The truth is generally found at the end Of a discus+E
by John H. Worst in Agricultural Northwest. 4
"For ways that are dark and tricks that are vain, the Heathea[
Chinee is peculiar" Thus quoth Bret Harte after having obserx-[
ed the Celestial perform in the national game of draw poker. We
would like to present for Brets consideration Mr.. q J. Sorlie O.
Buxton. Sorie claims to be a member Of the Nonpartisan League. Il
He even says he is a pioneer in the movement. According to his
own statment, he is very strong for the League. But, like: the
Heather Chinee, his ways of demonstrating it are dark anu Pc
cuiar. He travels about the state from place to place (accofdnq
to the Grand Forks Herald, at his own expensel hammeing the
league and all that it stands for as hard as he knows how, He at
tends all league meetings possible for him to attend and breaks
in on the speakers and disturbs the meetings. His league enthus-
iasn drove him to such lengths at a Northwood meeting last week
that a brother farmer-evidently not a league man-promplyI
knocked the Buxton orator down. Such devotion to the cause
of the farmer as is manifested by Sorlie should not go unrewald-
led. Will not that Minot party again open up his heart and pres