Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-11-04
OREGON short.
line DENIES It.
IS NOT FAIR

Declares solution 10 Jne
Movement of Crops Is in
Providing Storage Facili-
ties on the Farms.
Denial is entered by the oregon
Short Line railroad to the charge of
the Idaho oregon Fruitgrowers' asso-
citation, published Saturday, that 1t
has shown discrimination in the dis
tribution of refrigerator or other cars
to move crops, or that while there
is such a heavy demand for cars in
Idaho. idle cars stand on the tracks
across the Snake river in Oregon. The
denial was made through the COVER
nor's office, to which that association
made it's appeal and charge.
WAREHOUSE COLLAPSES.
In relation to the alleged discrimina-
ton in the delivery of cars, 1t is sup
posed that reference is made to the
New Plymouth situation, Last week
a large storage warehouse erected for
the storage of the fruit crop, collapsed,
damaging several cars of apples. The
attention of the state farm market bu-
reau was called to the situation and
an urgent request made that the Ore
gon Short Line be induced to imme-
diately deliver a number Of cars at
New Plymouth so the fruit under the
warehouse could be removed and
shipped. The public utilities commits
sion was not in the city at the time,
SO Director Alfred took the matter up
with the Short Line officials who los
Gated the number of empties desired
and under rush orders sent them to
New Plymouth. State Horticultural
Inspector Guy Graham, in the mean
time, made an investigation Of the
warehouse and found its condition
much worse than he has anticipated.
He so reported to Director Alfred. The
cars diverted to New Plymouth were
loaded as fast as they arrived and
most of the apples under the building
saved.
STORAGE THE SOLUTION.
1t was claimed by other growers that
they had orders with the railroad for
cars long before the New Plymouth re-
quest was made and that their or
ders should have been delivered first.
In view of the emergency situation in
the collapse of the warehouse, it is
cldlnleu Dy titose wiz VSiiSutVu ehS
situation the railroad was justified in
filling the order.
Storage facilities on farms or at con-
genient .centers il" the solution OF the
crop movement problem in Idaho, ac-
cording to Harvey Alfred, state direc-
tor of farm markets. If farmers will
arrange to store their potatoes and ap-
pies, together with their grain, they
81,
will outguess the speculator and in
stead of being forced to sell at low
price, will get top-notch prices
throughout the late fall and winter he
says.
There is a demand during the So
called crop movement period covering
so days for thousands of cars" said
Director Alfred. in my opinion it is
physically impossible for the carriers
to move that number of cars within
so short period Crops therefore
must be stored. There are today
100000 bushels of grain standing in
the open over in the southeastern part
of the state. That grain Is waiting for
cars. 1t should be in a granary or a
warehouse to be placed on the market
at Ater date.
MARKET is GlUT TED.
THE trouble in this state has been
that the growers have all demanded
cars within the 60-day period of crop
movement, instead of providing storage
capacity by which they could conserve
their crop and place it on the mar
leet more gradually.
"As it is the market is glutted with
the crops which pass into the hands of
the speculator during that shipment
period. Take the potatoes for illus
tration The shipper who disposes of
all of his crop during the shipping per-
iod, is selling at a lower price than
he would receive later and the specu-
lator who uoes what the grower should
have done, stores the potatoes in big
eastern centers for more favorable
markets.
STORAGE NOT DIFFICULT.
There is no good reason that have
been able to find, why the grower OF
potatoes should not store his spuds on
his own farm. In the eastern Idaho
potato belt, we will say for instance
the average area the farmer plants to
potatoes is Is acres. From this we will
say he raises rour or five carloads OF
potatoes. 1t is one of the most easy
things for him to dig pit not over two
feet deep and five feet wide. any length
he desires and in this place his po-
tato crop. cover it with sufficient
depth of straw and dirt and store them
all winter II he likes. have seen po-
tatoes stored easily without freezing
in this manner when the mercury was
at 10 degrees below zero. AS the grow
err desires he may ship these potatoes