Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-06

THE VALLEY CIT
bills owed the medical firm of which
DR.. S. A. Zimmerman Of Valley City
is the head, and ended up by having
the doctor owe the debtors in addi-
ton to providing them with a living
for the winter.
Collecting Benefits Debtors.
During the past fall, DR.. thinner
man employed Joe Messer, a former
University of North Dakota student,
to collect his bills for him. Mr.. Mes
ser drove through the country at
tempting to collect from the farmers.
but he could get nothing as they had
no money. He saw in their fields piles
of fax straw which happened not to
have been burned, and he conceived
the idea OF having these farmers haul
this straw to the fiber plant which is
about a mile out of Valley City, near
the high line of the Northern Pacific.
This plant had been idle for about a
year., its affairs being in litigation.
The First National bank which owns
the mortgage on it, gave permission to
reopen the plant. and allowed it's use
rem free on condition that the users
put the equipment in good working
order at their W expense.
With only courage for capital, Mr..
Messer went to work. He gave en-
ployment to the men Of twelve fam
lilies who would otherwise have been
unable to secure any work. This was
early in December, M as it took a
good deal of time to fix up the old
machinery. nc money seemed likely to
come in before Christmas as there
would not be time to make a carload
of tow and get it to market in time
to get returns from it. Mr.. Messer
lie some quick thinking. He pur-
chased flax straw at $3.50 per ton.
baled it and shipped it to the Twin
Cities getting $3.50 per ton for it
from the Fla Linum Insulating Com
pany. He shipped four cars and the
money made on this transaction ar
rived on the morning of Christmas
Eve.
Christmas For Riddles.
At moor he called the boys into
the office. The" were a pretty glum
looking bunch for they were nearly
all men with families, and nothing
can make a man feel quite SO mean as
to have no money to buy presents for
the kids at Christmas. Mr.. Messer
had the cash ready as a surprise fol-
them.
Boys" he said, Lets not work
this afternoon. It's Christmas Eve
and We'll take Il half holiday. Ant
here's something to buy a. little
Christmas cheer for the wife and thu
kiddies.''
The men went out with radian'
faces, and it was a merry Christina
indeed that that straw money brought
Unexpected money often brings tn,
most pleasure. All had gone to worl
with the understanding hat the,
could draw no money until the frs
carload OF tow was made and sold
Then the work Of tow making started
in earnest. The brains Of the concern
we're to be found in w. II. Messer
Joe's father, who though now confined
to his home through illness, still take
a vital interest in the fibre plant with
which he was formerly connected a
buyer. He directed the activities o
the reopened plant from his bed
There r three grades of tow
: medium, Oarse and fine. Medium
tow was made here for the most part
This sells at about $40 per ton. F. Q
I B. Valley City and up, while tn
coarse tow a little of which was mad
: at this plant sells at from $50 to So
per ton.
Good Market For Tow.
There is a good market for tow a
it is used extensively in making tn
popular over-stuffed furniture. It i
also used to make animportant build
ing material known as "fiax linum
8 for houses. A car of medium toy
brings in about $3.50 net.
When the Herald visitor was at tn
plant recently. this novel company
which started work in Novembe
without a cents capital, had paid TO
the keep of a dozen families for tn
winter, had paid off all the old debt
of these families, and had a goo
had been done with straw whicl
would otherwise have been burne'
and SO wasted.
Solved Problem For Many.
It was interesting to hear some o
this winter had meant to them. Mi
Anderson, the head mechanic ant
superintendent said:
don't know what would hav
become of us this winter OF it hadn'
been for this job. There wasn't an.
work to be had, and I have a wife an
four boys. 7 had been sick, and Oh
u o Swork Tor a while, and I was dea'
broke when41 began here. There /
enough max reed left In the straw t
pay my wages. We separate ever.
bit OF it out carefully, and put
sfhf0ugh a tanning mill. w keep tn
d11 on hand for ready money, an,
when some Of the boys need some bee
steak we take sack OF max down an,
I'll It'll and ret 0ome cash. The com
gpaiay bought my coal and went goo,
1orMfysrent and It has all been mad
~ ont 0f this 1ax and straw tina
A.sEAAfax ~~--&G.3ka vdnk