The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-09-13
CHARGE COMP ANY
DISCRI MINATED
AGAINST FARMER
Occident Elevator Officials Ar
rested by Attorney Gen.
erals Department
MAY CANCEL CHARTER
Pay Two Different Prices, 1t Is
Alleged, for Same Kind
of Wheat

Action which may result in the can
ceiling of the charter OF the Occident
Elevator COMPANY, headquarters in
Minneapolis, the largest line elevator
company operating in the state, start
ed yesterday with the arrest, ar
raignment and binding over to dis
trict court of three managers Of local
plants.
Charges of aiding and abetting the
Occident Elevator company in unlaw'
full discrimination have been preferred
against Leroy Irving of Hazelton, r.
j. Schott of Linton, and w. r. Cent?
of Temvik. The three men were ar
rested upon the complaint of Assistant
Attorney General Albert E. Sheets, Jr.
following an investigation of condi'
tions.
Phillip Pfeiffer, farmer residing two
miles from Temvik, on September 10
took load of wheat, newly threshed
to the elevator at Linton securing
$237 per bushel and grade of No. !
Northern. From the same threshing
and stack he hauled a load to Temvik
and was there paid SLAB per bushel
and a grade of No. dark Northern;
and the following morning he took a
load of the same grain to Hazelton
which he sold to the Occident Elevator
at price of $3.50 and received a
grade of No. 1 Northern.
Waive Examination
All three men arrested were ar
raigned before a justice at Linton Fri
day and waived preliminary examina-
tion. They were released under bonds
of $4,000.
The arrests were made under
amended statute against unfair dis
elimination which makes it a crime for
any corporation operationg elevators
at various points in the state to buy
grain at one point at lower price
than that which is paid for grain at
another point, excluding the differ
ence in freight between the two points
and the difference in the quality OF
the grain.
The officers of the Occident Eleva-
tor company as a result was summon
ed today to appear at Linton on Sep
tember 26 to answer to the same
charge of unfair discrimination. In
the event that they are found guilty
of the crime charged, the Occident
Elevator company will be suspended
from doing business in the state OF
North Dakota and the charter will
be cancelled. '...
Lanqer Made Investigation
The arrests today were the result
of Investigations carried on by At
torney General William LANCER for a
number of months. ''Men who pay un.
fair prices for grain to the farmers OF
this state are criminals in no differ
ent sense and in no smaller measure
than those who violate the sWindling,
highway robbery or other laws of a
similar character" said Mr.. LANCER.
"An effort has been made by the old
line elevator companies, doing bust
ness in this state, to discourage the
patrons and stockholders Of farmer
elevator companies, and to wipe out
local competition by lowering the
price paid for grain at points where
Independent grain buyers are doing
business and boosting it at those
points where only old line elevators
are in operation. AS soon as the
farmer elevator companies have been
forced tt" the wall the price of grain
drops and the farmer is once more at
the mercy of the so-called grain trust.
"Those elevator companies and their
agents who are guilty Of this method
of unfair discrimination are criminals
even more dangerous than those per-
sons who commit swindling or grand
larceny, because unfair discrimination
robs every man who sells grain tribu-
tary to the elevator Of the guilty COM
raana11 " l---