The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-05-06

CltlZcIS OWc 0OIVaU! oUt SUCH O8l-
ances have been reduced to amounts
nearly meeting the States require,
ments than formerly when acting thru
Independent institutions.
"We were promised cheaper flour
as the result Of a state flour mill. We
got a mill that claims to be profiteer-
ing at the rate Of IS percent yearly,
but we haven't noticed any reduction
in living COSTS" A small mill cannot
serve the requirements Of the whole
State. One large Minneapolis mill in
structed it's salesman in the Drake ter
ritory to reduce his selling price on
flour $1.00 per barrel. A certain mill
located at Valley City reduced it's price
60c per barrel upon the receipt of a
shipment Of Drake flour. The same
thing was repeated in jamestown.
And even in the face of all those re-
auctions in flour prices by privately
owned mills, eve since the Drake mill
first began operations, it has sold
flour at a price averaging at least SOC
per barrel lower than the prices gen.
orally charged thruout the State for
spring wheat flour. All other large
mills in the State have been furnish
ing their North Dakota customers
with flour milled from southwestern
winter wheat or at least flour contain
ing fifty per cent southwestern win
ter wheat; whereas, the Drake mill
has furnished it's patrons with a
strictly pure spring wheat flour made
from wheat grown by the farmers of
the State of North Dakota, and has
sold its entire output at an average
of SOC per barrel on flour and $3.50
per ton on mill feeds below what 9TH
err mills in North Dakota were charg-
ing their customers for mill feeds.
"We were promised assistance for
the man of small means to build his
own home. We got a home builders
association that has built one bunga-
low in a year, and spent twice the
cost Of the building in overhead"
Every legitimate business enterprise
has overhead costs during it's organi-
zation period exceeding it's income.
Moreover the delay in getting the
Home Building Association to func-
ton properly and to get under way is
owing to the opposition in trying to
defeat the whole plan. The Home
Building Association was equipt by
The Legislature with adequate machin-
cry to operate under normal times :
when money could be obtained at five
percent. Everyone knows that in these
abnormal times money cannot be OBJ
tanned at five percent. For instance,
the city of Minneapolis this year is n
able to make any improvements, in
GLIDING needed street work, the erec-
ton of school buildings, etc., because
they are unable to sell their bonds
at par, bearing five per cent, and Min
nesota is not under the control of the
Nonpartisan League of North Dakota.
"We were promised an economical
administration. We got doubled and
tripled taxes" Taxes had to be made
larger to provide against probable
deficits arising thru litigation, which
however has since been settled largely
in favor of the State. Taxes also had
to be increased to provide for def
ciences from former administrations,
and taxes had also to be increased to
cover the increased costs of living, the
same as any other business enterprise
higher salaries in State educational
institutions, higher salaries to peni-
tertiary guards, higher salaries in
all departments, except state officials
for whom there has been no increase,
higher taxes for state bonus to sol-
diers. These higher taxes are all le-
gitimate and proper but the increase
is much less than in other states, and
it has not been doubled or tripled.
Moreover the State administration
had no control over the levying of
local taxes, which increases of local
taxes constitute seventy-five per cent
of the total. increase of taxes turnout
the State. The State taxes on residence
properly in the State of North Dako-
ia are approximately one-half of the
State taxes on residence property Of
equal value in the State of Minnesota.
"We were promised a Farmers
government. We got a government by
imported Socialists who actually dis
eliminated against farmers in the
levying of taxes" Who levied the
taxes? They were levied by the town
ship boards of Supervisors, district
school boards, city boards Of educa-
ton, boards of county commissioners
and the State board Of equalization,
which consists of five State officials,
all of whom swore when their oaths
of office were filed that they were
citizens of the United States and res
idents of the State Of North Dakota.
We fail to locate any imported So
cialists among those officials. Will the
Forum please specify a. to whom they
refer? They certainly cannot refer to
the heads Of the State educational in
stitutions,-President Kane Of the
University and President Allen of the
Va11ev Citv Normal. These me- were