The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-26
NORTH DAKOTA|S HANDLING VARIOUS
 INDUSTRIAL LINES
Banking, Mill, Elevator, Crop insurance and Home Build ing Are Chief Interests In
 Experimental State
By Associated Press

Fargo, N. D., December 20.-The state of North Dakota is engaged in four lines of activity usually followed only by private interests.
 These are: Insurance for public build ing and for crops); operation of mill and elevators; operation of a bank; and op- eration of home building association.
 These activities are part of the indus trial programme, backed by the non- partisan league. The Iast three named are under the control of the industrial commission of the state.
 Possibly the mast ambitious of the four programmes is that for chain of state owned mills and elevators. stateo owned flour mill with capacity of l2o barrels day, is in operation at Drake. A 3.090- -barrel-a-day mill and 1,5OO,00o- bushel elevator are being built by the state under one roof at Grand Forks. These will be ready in time to handle wheat of the 1921 crop. it is expected
 The mill and elevator system is to be only beginning, says H. T.. More, state secretary of the non-partisan league, the plan being to supply eventually, ma chinery to handle live stock and other farm products. The final aim, according to MT. More, is to handle, store manu- fracture and distribute in finished form all these products from within the state thus avoiding transportation to distant factory points and costs involved by pas sage through the hands of middle men.
 The programme of the state bank, ac- cording to MT. More. is to extend credit to the farmers and to mobilize money in the state at points where it is most need ed, by redepositing it Yin local banks at these points. The western end of the state, impoverished by five years of crop failures. has had until recently H,OO0,- ~-srr 11x- drawn from that section, he says.
 Before the November election law provided that all public funds in the state be deposited in the state bank but an initiate law passed at that time now makes the depository of county, town ship, municipal and school moneys op- tional with the treasurers of these re- spective funds. The capital stock of the bank is 8, GOO GOO.
 The home building association, which is in it's infancy, has built about 100 homes throughout the state. Mir. More says. The plan is to build homes cost ing 5000 or less and sell them for a cash payment of fifth the value and the rest in 10 or W-year payments. The monthly payment on a 5000 house after the $l,0O0 has been paid, would be SS,a, including interest. under the 20-year plan.
 All public buildings in the state are insured against fire and windstorm. There is demand, according to league officials, that this insurance be made available for private buildings. The ad- ministration of this tax is more economi- cal than in old line companies and as soon as a sinking fund has been accum- ulated, the cost which now is about equal to that charged by the old line companies, will be lowered MT More says.
 A three-cent per acre tax is levied on all tiliable land for the state hail tax. .ast year this tax cost the farmers who insured their crops, 28 cents per acre. This compares according to Mir. More, with IT cents per acre charged by pri- vate companies for hail protection. Both forms of state insurance he adds. are making money. Fs