The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-11-22

tain day was being bought for $1.05
a bushel after deducting q 39hc
freight rate, but that elevators would
only pay the farmers 81 cents.
8. That the difference of Is cents
a bushel is what the elevator takes
from the farmer in the transaction
and that the state law in 1917 only
| allowed a handling charge of 3 to 4
cents a bushel.
a. That there is a body of men in
the state known as Grain Commits
sioners," and these men have author
ity to fix handling charges.
5. That this years wheat crop in
Montana is 50,O00,000 bushels.
There are other statements of equal
merit. but these will be enough to
.lehow how utterly misleading the Gin
formation" really is. Following is a
true statement regarding each of the
five points mentioned:
1. "Track-loaders," by which is no
doubt meant track buyers, are in no
way limited to any particular place
Of operation. Buying and selling
wheat is like buying and selling other
products, it is a bargaining process.
|. When a track buyer offers from 5 to
) cents more for grain it is.not like
! " that the elevator will do a great
deal of business.
9 2. Because of competition between
elevators and track buyers and be-
cause the farmers have the alterna-
tive of loading and shipping direct if
I they so desire, Montana prices CORE
spond very closely with Minneapolis
= prices minus the freight rate. If al
it is stated a certain farmer received
10 cents a bushel more than the quot.
ed price on a certain day, it was be
cause of a premium on his wheat due
70 extra quality. Premiums as hiSi
as % cents a buahel have been pai'
for Montana wheat this year.
= 3. Here the author confuses sellins
grain to the elevator and STORMS
! grain with the elevator. The nan
Cling charges referred to apply t.
grain which the farmer stores in tn
elevator and has nothing whateve
to do with the selling of grain, whic'
is the subject under discussion.
is stated that the handling charge i
1917 was 8 to 4 cents a bushel. TIL
law with regard to stored grain a
the present time is as follows: /
the case Of immediate delivery,
"where a warehouse simply load
grain through a house without guar
anteeing the gradelor weight at tn
terminal. the maximum charge is
. cents q bushel." The time limit flo
the transaction under this charge
three days. where the warehous
. receipts, grades, elevates, insurei
: gives Is days free storage or pan
. thereof, cOOpers the cars and make
/ delivery in accordance with the term
Of warehouse receipt, the maximum
charge IS 4 cents per bushel." Ate
a period of free storage, the storag
charge is one-thirtieth of a cent pc
bushel per day. All Of this informs
ton is contained on the storage ticke
which the farmer receives when h
stores his grain.
4. There is no legally constitute
body in Montana known as "Grai
v Commissioners" who have authorit
to fix handling charges. The la
= places this duty upon the commission
S er Of agriculture and the only leg,
3 stipulations are that the charge
!, shall be "just, fair and reasonable
= 5. According to the governmel
" crop statiltician for Montana, whiC
is the only reliable source of informs
ton on crop yields, the wheat crC
, in Montana this year is 37,818,0(
I! bushels, and this includes both wintt
9 and spring wheat.
Thus a large daily newspaper di
It cusses a subject Of vital interest
st the farmers of Montana, and there
It not one true statement in the enti
article. 1t is false and misleadin