The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-02-08
State Should Act as Referee
Not as Gunner Of Enterprises,
Equity Chief Advises Senate

Advocating state aid and state reg
ulation as opposed to state-Ownershil
and control, and recounting Canada's
experience to prove that public own.
ership of utilities often is expensive
and not always successful, J. M. An
derson of St. Paul, president and gen
eral manager of the Equity exchange
last evening shed light for the ware.
houses, grain and grading committee
of the senate upon the perplexing
question:
Terminal elevators-Where to have
Them when to have them and how to
have them. ..-.
Against Paramount Plan
President Anderson threw cold wa
ter on the proposition which brought
the committee together which was the
question of erecting at Paramount, in
connection with the Equity flour mill
at that point, terminal elevator to
be financed by the state. but to be
leased and managed by the Equity.
This project, brought up by prom
inent Paramount citizens, meets with
favor from many members OF the SEN
ate William Dahlquist, cashier Of
the First National Bank Of Paramount,
headed the delegation which present
ed the claims of his city. When the
Equity flour mill was organized, Dahl
quist stated, 1913 farmers subscribed
for stock in amounts ranging from
500 to $1,000 on the strength of in
timations made by President Johnson
of the State Society of Equity and
President Anderson of the Equity ex-
change, that the logical point for an
Equity terminal elevator, if construct
ed would be the site of the Equity
flour mill. Paramount, Mr.. Dahlquist
declared, expects the Equity to make
good on the promises.
Would Have Slight Effect
Mr.. Anderson did not side step any
promises, but he did state that small
terminal elevator, such as was pro-
posed by some members Of the COM
mittee, located at Paramount, would
have very slight effect on the wheat
market in North Dakota, and that any
effect it might have would be purely
local.
IF we want to whip Germany" said
Mr.. Anderson, land understand me,
gentlemen, l am not advocating such
a course, would we march our armies
into Canada or would we ship them
across the ocean and head them for
Berlin? The same thing applies to
the marketing question. The only pur
pose of terminal elevator is to pro-
vide the farmer better market and
higher prices for his grain. To af-
feet markets we must go to the point
where the market is made, and that
means, in the northwest, Minneapolis,
Duluth or Superior. Those points reg
ulate the price Of grain for all Of
North Dakota, and for the entire
And the president of the Equity ex-
change made plain these points:
That the place for North Dakota's
terminal elevator is st. Paul
That the proper manager for North
Dakota's terminal elevator is the
Equity exchange. -.
That the right course for North Da-
kota to pursue is to build through
bonding, preferably, q terminal eleva-
tor at st. Paul and to lease the same
to the Equity, which Mr.. Anderson
declared last night would guarantee
North Dakota a lease netting eight per
cent on the investment, sufficient to
pay interest on the bonds, provide for
depreciation and to build up an amor
tizatiOn fund.
Leaguers Against Taxing
Tnapue senator's nrespnt at the boar
Wexford and Hamilton
it clear they are against any
proposal to raise funds for a terminal
elevator through a direct property tax,
and that they consider bonding, with
the bonds secured on the property, the
proper method.
They opposed any suggestion that
the 100000 now in the termiminal
elevator fund of the state might be