The Ward County independent., 1921-12-29
Potato GrOu>ers Air
Grievances at MeefinP

from the Berthold, Lone Tree, Des
Laos, Burlington, Foxholm and Minot
districts, attended q very important
meeting at the Association of Com
merce rooms Tuesday afternoon, call
ed to discuss the unsatisfactory results
from marketing potatoes from the last
seasons crop.
G. E. Waterman was elected chair
man and John Huseby secretary.
H. L. Finke of Berthold was pres
ent, representing growers of his dis
'trict who have shipped 13 cars on con-
signment to the Valley Potato Co. of
Moorhead, with instructions to sell.
Two cars were reported sold, but it
appears that all the others are report
ed in storage all the way from Moor
head to Kansas City, and altho they
were shipped early in October, main
ly, the company has not given the
shippers a satisfactory explanation
for the day. Some of the potatoes
shipped on the same date, with straw
in the bottoms of the cars and straw
around the sides, were received o. X.
at some points, while at others they
were reported frosted. VIM. Matz-
dorf, H. L. Finke, M. P. Brye, r. Lau-
denschlager, Joe Makens, Anton Ell
stone, John Lewis, Clarence Hettinger,
X. T. Olson and C. L. Stevenson are
the Berthold growers complaining. X.
T. Olson reports receiving only 30
cents bushel net on one car he ship
ped to Marshalltown, Iowa. The
commission firm charged him commits
sion for selling 80 bushels reported
short. C. L. Stevenson shipped a
car of potatoes to Des Moines, Iowa.
They struck a poor market. Another
commission firm offered to handle
them and charged him $128 to sell
the car, with an additional charge of
$40, besides he had to pay $4.O0 day
to sell them.
John McIsaacs of Lone Tree has not
received drafts on two cars he sold,
the potatoes netting him only "a cents
a bushel. The buyer saw the potatoes
in the field and pronounced them
prime stock.
G. E. Waterman shipped car to
Peter Fox & Sons which was reported
1000 pounds short. He was charged
1868 freight and 1888 expenses on the
car, The potatoes netted him IL cents
bushel.
Representative Of the 500 and the
G. N. at Minot attended the meeting
and informed the growers that they
could secure memorandum of the re-
ceipts for their cars turned over to
the consignee. 1t was stated that
the G. N. Agent at Lone Tree is like
wise agent for Peter Fox & Sons.
One of the growers expressed the
opinion that some of the commission
houses may have sold the potatoes and
may be using the money to finance
other deals.
John Gruber, secretary of the Fox
holm Potato Growers Assn, stated
that six cars were shipped to the
Minnesota Potato Exchange early in
October on which no returns had been
received. He has received the inspec-
ton returns only, tho he and j. j.
O'Leary have written them repeatedly.
On the potatoes the Foxholm growers
received drafts for, the potatoes net
ted them from 10 cents down to 30
cents.
John Huseby, county agent, said he
had boosted the Minnesota Potato Ex-
change and recommended that concern
to the Foxholm association. "This
comes back as an awful slap at u.s."
he said. He also stated that most Of
the Makoti growers were satisfied
with their dealing with the Minnesota
Exchange and the Granville growers
who sold to them out of the field early