East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-07-23
This UItimatum is Chapter in
Controversy Over Discount
Laws of Oregon and Wash.
FARMERS SEND NOTICE
TO LARGE EXPORT BUYERS
Unless Officials Attend Meet
ing Farmers Will be Inclined
to Wait for Settlement.

I Enforcement Of the recently enact
I ed grain discount laws of Oregon and
/ Washington by the two states will be
asked Of Governor Olcott and Cover
! nor Hart by the Farm Bureaus OF
/ Umatilla and Walla walla counties,
according to a decision reached at a
( joint meeting of the two bureaus here
! this morning. The ultimatum is an
other chapter in the controversy be-
/ tween growers and buyers since the
decision of the Northwest Millers and
! Grain Dealers to disregard the dis
count laws Of the two states.
In addition, it was decided at this
mornings meeting that inasmuch as
grain buyers Of Portland, Seattle and
Tacoma seem unwilling TO meet with
the wheat growers, word will be sent
to the Pacific Coast Elevator Co., Kerr
Clifford CO.. Balfour Guthrie Co. and
Northern Grain Co. that unless the of
ficials of these companies meet with
the farmers and come to some settle
ment, farmers will be disposed to hold
their wheat which would delay deliv-
cries until the matter is settled. The
discount laws. authorities state. do not
conflict with the federal laws.
w. l.. Thompson Speaks n
w. L Thompson. vice president OF
the First National Bank OF Portland
and president OF the Pendieton Amerf-
can National Bank. who is here today,
spoke at the meeting and said he felt
sure that the big grain men will not
refuse to meet in Portland with n
committee of four men, two from
Ismatilla county and two from Walia
Walla county.
r. W. Ritner. who presided, read
letters from the Portland and Seattle
Buyers Exchanges and pointed out
that the buyers expressed themselves
as being in no fear of the outcome OF
a test case. Fred Steiwer. local at.
torney who.at the last meeting was in
favor OF test case. said today that
in his opinion the better course now "
to ask the governors to instruct the
attorney generals to enforce the law,
and also for the farmers to meet with
the BUYERS. Growers think that bv
putting the matter in this light they
may avoid a lawsuit on their hands.
ID scounts ause Trouble
The legislation about which the con-
troversy centers was passed in the
Oregon legislative sessions of 1921 and
is known as the Ritner bill and similar
legislation was also passed in WASH
ington. 1t provides that there shall
he no discount on SIS pound wheat hnt
that for each pound above 5S pounds,
s. of one per cent premium shall be
paid For each pound or fraction of
a pound below So pounds, there shall
be a discount of not TO exceed s Of one
per cent and -aa poareEgrades the dis
count is slightly larger.
D.fferentials We're Three Cents.
During the war. ditferentials were
three cents a bushel so that so pound
wheat was the standard for each grade
before the three cent discount was
made. Farmers agree that this was
fair when wheat sold for more than SO
a bushel but that with wheat at 81
bushel the differential is too great on
the old basis which the Northwest
Millers and Grain Dealers seek to re-
tain despite the new laws.