The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-10-31
THE WEEK

| THE WEEK |
A Great Lakes Waterway II
Two Bank Raids III
The New Baltic War
Winnipeg Labor in Politics
Program for Industrial Peace II
Banker Belittles Americans u
Week beginning October 20, 1919
Talk Of a waterway for big ships
from Duluth to the Atlantic is being
revived. The principal BARRED to be
removed is q bad stretch in the st.
Lawrence river on the American side,
and this could be cleaned out by q
series of locks estimated to cost
$100,000,000.
Secretary Lane Of the interior de-
partment points out that this devel.
opment for = waterway would yleld
also about $l8,000,000 worth of cleo
trio power year. The hy-product
would thus pay handsome return on
the Improvement and our farmers
and manufacturers Of the Northwest
would have a much better chance in
the foreign market. At least cents
could be chopped off the handling
charges Of Northwest wheat.
The chief criticism of the plan is
that it should have been applied 10
wears ago. This development is far
more important directly to about half
the American people than the Pana-
ma canal and should have been COM
pleted first. Since 1900 farmers Of
the Northwest have lost over half
their foreign trade and manufacturers
in this section are strangled BY cost
ly transportation.
An ocean-ship waterway through
the lakes to Europe, government
owned ships operated at cost, a new
port at the head Of the lakes to es-
cape the vested interest charges at
Duluth, a railroad system owned by
the people and THEREFORE not fighting
development needed by the people,
few sensible movs of this kind would
put US in a position to do real bust
ness with the rest Of the world Il
the profit of all concerned except the
few powerful monopolists who gorge
themselves on the land route through
New York.
Efforts to discredit the Scandina
Wan American bank of Fargo, N. D,
because it is not part Of the money
trust system, are strangely liz" thos'
Of similar interests to break the cit!
bank Of St. Paul three years ago.
St. Paul commissioner of finance
found it hard to dispose of $500, OO'
of tax levy certificates; SO he worxe'
out plan whereby they could be soil
in small denominations over. tn
counter. The city paid depositors
per cent for the money turned in
whereas St. Paul banks paid abou
3 1-8 per cent. Money poured int
the city to the amount of 100000
in short time.
Then the bankers started their dir
ty work. They got grand jury t
report that the bank was doing a
illegal business. Then the Ponce
Press and Dispatch started a run 0
the city bank by misleading headline
and editorials. In one day $267 90
was withdrawn. But the bank stoo
up under this grossly unfair test, e,
cry cent asked for was paid out, an
now this city bank has deposits G
$3,738 900.
The banking world of three year
ago was willing to perpetrate thi
meanest and most despicable {
banking crimes. 1t has not reformed
The Scandinavian American bank wa
hated because it was getting org:
nized farmer deposits away from oil
er Fargo banks and because it wa
lending money to farmer organic.
tons on good security for objects NJ
approved by the money trust.
fighting around Riga is worse than I
news, because there is not even
superficial reason as to why it is &
ing on.
The city of Riga has been bombar
ed with shells and poison gas. TT
Let's, who inhabit that region, a.
pear to be fighting Germans und
Won der Goltz. British and Fren|
warships take part. Poles are d
clared to be rushing in to participa
and there is mention Of a mysterio,
Russian army.
Perhaps the nearest clew we ha'
is the report of allied negotiation
with Germany to get her to help ca
~ out a rigorous blockade again
Soviet Russia. Previously there HI
been good reason for supposing tn
Won der Goltz was near Riga with
large army under sanction from Il
allies.
Perhaps Germany has been maxi,
approaches to Russia with the i'd
Of grabbing the Russian trade. T.
German people, who know VIII at
blockade means, would also be l
tie hesitant about enforcing one
neighboring nation. The new "
may easily be part of possit
secret treaty made at Paris.
In the meantime the people in t
Baltic provinces of Russia suffer t
evils of modern war.
Winnipeg labor has made an