The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-10-02

wholesale and retail prices Of all prod
ucts obtained FROM land leased under
tho bill.
There is ample evidence that the
bill as originally drawn would be very
satisfactory to the Standard Oil COM
pany. n
Baer Urges Soldier Bonus.
An amendment offered by Represen.
tative Baer to the bill Incorporating
the American Legion, which provides
that every state must be represented
in the establishment of this wal vet
Grams association under permanent
federal charter, was adopted by the
house on August II. \,
Mr.. Baer's bill providing for IL
months extra pay at $50 a month for
honorably discharged world war vet
Grams, is daily gaining in popularity
among representatives in congress-.
The bill provides that the sum necss-
sary for it's carrying out shall be pro-
vided from extra taxation on all in
comes over SIS, 900 a year., and also
by an upward grading of the excess
profits tax. 1t is held, pending hear
ings, in the house military affairs
committee.
Houston Kills Drought Aid.
David Franklin Houston, secretary
of agriculture, has given a mortal blow
to the drought relief bill introduced
In the house a few weeks ago by Rep
resentative Sinclair of North Dakota.
In a lengthy letter just received by
Mr.. Sinclair, Houston expresses the
belief that the matter is one in which
the federal government can not be ex-
pected to give financial aid, and re.
fuses to give his Endorsement. Rather
than, expanding money In drought re-
lief, the secretary says, he is inclined
to favor reclamation work of the type
embodied in the irrigation extension
bill of Representative Riddick Of Mon
tana, now pending. State and local
authorities, he believes, must handle
local drought problems.
Refrigerator Car Facts.
Government operation. of all refrig.
orator, peddler and special equipment
cars, such as are used by the Big sFivo
packers to maintain their food distri.
button monopoly, is urged by the fed.
eral trade commission in a special rel
port on this subject made to Presi.
dent Wilson this week.
Stating that Z government monop-
oily in this line Is essential to prevent
a strangle-hold monopoly by the Ar
mour, Wilson, Cudahy, Swift and Nor.
ris ring, the commission points out
that the big packers now w 80 per
cent of all refrigerator a equipment
in the country. 1t is further recon-
snended that icing stations and refrig-
orator equipment In addition to cars
-be acquired by the governments and
that the railways be licensed to oper-
ate them. on a strict nonprivilege
basis.
"The volume of traffic of the big
packers has enabled them to secure
from the railroads advantages over
competing shippers" the report says
in part. Formerly in the shape of
direct rebates these advantages are:
now usually in expedited service toi
the big packer cars. X
"The small Independent packer cars
are misused and diverted, frequently
being out of service altogether for ex.
tended periods. In 1917 the cars Of
the Big Five and their subsidiary COM
panies maintained an average of 80.8
miles per car per day, while the az.
erage for cars of their competitors,
the Independent packing companies,
was only 54.5 miles"
There is evidence that the recent
cut in prices paid for cattle and hogs
on the hoof was done with the inten-
ton Of lining up stock raisers behind
the packers out of economic necessity.
Testimony of a few stock raisers and
eastern farmers before the committee
this week, indicates that that result
has been achieved in q few cases.
In this connection, Jessie r. Hayer.
Washington representative OF the Ma
tional Consumers league, has issued
the following comment:
"The farmers of the country are be-
Ing made to suffer for the sins OF the
packer, as in times past. Only this
Lille tuO Q0uAlty ud6 N0SA 1MpOSOu lOIi
q different reason. Just al hearings
were started on the Kenyon-Kendrick
bills to regulate the packers the most
unprecedented drop ia prices paid for
hogs and cattle took place. And 50
this week Washington has been food
ed by cattle raisers, cattle feeders.
farmers and independent packers to
beg congress to put q stop to all this
agitation. Many Of the men who have
appeared are probably not wholly dis
interested in their point of view, but
many are honest. Woodworking men
who even vet do not understand the
forces Of the powers which are rob
bling them and have been robbing
them all these years. Meanwhile the
packer warehouses I bulging with
enough stored food to- carry their bust
ness for the winter. They can afford
to q buying Tor 2 while. --
"The consumers must realize that
the packer monopoly can not bA