The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-12-26
SIC MARGIN ON
FLAX TOO MUCH
CHIEF DEPUTY McGOVERN
SEES THAT RAISER is
REIMBURSED.

tlOu DCpdI IIlIcHL VI Cuc OCdLc Vi
North Dakota, one of those hor-
rible results of the last Nonpar-
tisan League legislature, dis
close some very interesting in
formation, and the editor of the
Leader would like to spend more
of his time looking over the cor
respondence. Deputy Chief Grain
Inspector, J. A. McGovern, not
being one of the boastful kind,
it is necessary to dig thru the
files, which are public, to real
ize the wonderful work the de-
partment is doing in protecting
the grain growers.
For instance, yesterday we
read a letter which ran some
thing like this "Check for $38.O8
from j. w. Evens Elevator Co.
at Niobe, for balance due me on
flax. H. F. Moore, Columbus, N.
Oak.
Now that "check for $38.08"
had rather interesting story
connected with it, which briefly
is as follows:
H. F. Moore of Columbus had
few pounds over 237 bushels
of flax hauled to the J. w. Evans
elevator at Niboe. The elevator
could not get cars to ship it out
when it was hauled in, some time
in October, and hence Mr.. Moore
could not sell, as the elevators,
many of them, would not pay for
grain until they shipped it out.
On Nov. 8, Mr.. Moore phoned
Mr.. Mcdonald, the buyer for W.
J. Evans, asking him what flax
was worth. 1T is 1881 here to-
day." replied Mcdonald. !
1T seems to me that flax is
worth more than that" said Mr..
Moore. ~'-- -
"Well, it may seem that way,
but that is what we are paying,
came the reply from Mcdonald.
The next day, Nov. 9th, Mr..
Moore called up again as to the
price of flax, and was again told
is was 1881.
"Allight," said Mr.. Moore,
"you can send me a check for it. "
He received his check for the
flax at 1881, but was not ex-
actly satisfied with the returns
and wrote to the Grain Inspec-
tion Department, Agricultural
College, stating the facts in the
case.
! Chief Deputy McGovern wrote
the Evans Elevator about it and
the facts were as Mr.. Moore had
stated them.
| Mr.. McGove1n looked up the
cash close of flax in Minneapolis
on Nov. 9th and found it to be
$4.O8, which left the Evans Ele-
vator buying flax on 81 cent
margin.
The Chief Deputy Inspector
wrote the Evans Elevator Co.,
calling attention to the margin
of 81 cents. In fact several let
ters were written back and forth
with the ultimate result that Mr..
Moore received a check for $38.
O8, or 16 cents per bushel more
for his flax than he had received
That would pay Nonpartisan
League dues for 5 years! Still
the League knockers often ask,
"what good does the League do
you anyway?
BY buying at 81 cents margin,
allowing IA cents for freight and
II cents selling charges, the net
profit would have been Al cents
per bushel for the elevator COM
pany. After refunding Mr.. Moore
16 cents per bushel more, the ele-
vator company still made a net
profit of Is cents per bushel,
which is doing pretty well for
just handling the grain-a lot
bigger net profit than the farm
er makes on all his grain, and
often he makes nothing, or raises
it at a loss.
The Nonpartisan League has
given North Dakota the best
grain inspection law in the Unit
ed States, and in addition to the
scores of instances where ele-
vator companies have made re-
funds and adjustments, all OF
them are more careful because
they know the North Dakota
law has teeth in it.
If you don't get a square deal
with the elevator, write the
Grain Inspection Department,
Agricultural College, which is on
| the job al the time, and has
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