The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1922-11-30
MORE STORAGE !
ROOM NEEDED
Present Facilities Inadequate to Han
die Any Considerable Portion of
Years Production
FARMERS FACING HUGE LOSS

Years Production
FARMERS FACING HUGE LOSS
Handicap Too Great for Either Agri-
culture or Public to Bear
With thousands Of bushels of wheat
lying on the ground in North Dakota
as result of the car shortage, the
need Of more storage facilities in the
state is emphasized, if the farmer is
to continue to raise wheat.
The question Of proper storage Of
farm products, SO they can be used as
a basis Of credit while still owned by
the producer, instead Of being used
by the middlelmen for the same pur-
pose, is coming to the front very rap
idly. A representative Of the federal
trade commission, speaking at the
convention of the National Milk Pro-
ducers' federation, dwelt chiefly on
this subject.
He said that a survey of the re-
lationship of the farmers products,
his transportation facilities and city
markets compels US to realize that
the present situation cannot 60 on if
we are to build our national life up
from the farms, which are the real
foundation of national strength. The
amount of products that perish on the
farm, are spoiled in transit, lost after
reaching destination, or perish in the
city markets for lack of storage space,
is too great a handicap for either the
public or the farmer to continue to
bear.
The cost Of keeping on hand railroad
cars which are used to their maximum
during the seasonal periods Of deliv-
ering necessaries such as come from
the farms and standing idle in great
numbers during the rest of the year,
Is an item that must be considered.
The time it takes to move a car from
the congested market place of the
east to the farms of the west, load it,
return it to market, unload it and re-
turn it again to the farmer must be
taken into the calculation in consid-
ering the public welfare both from
the farmers' standpoint and that Of
the railroads.
All Of this points to the thought
that we have no alternative except
storage near the point of production.
This can be met through legislation
in the several states giving their
counties the right to vote bonds for
the construction of municipal ware
houses to take care of the surplus and
excess at least during the rush period.
The farmers products placed in
municipal storage might be made the
basis for warehouse receipts having
borrowing value sufficient to tide
him over in order that it would not be
necessary to sell Immediately. In this
way the flow from farm to city will
be stabilized.
Another speaker, in commenting on
the above, points out that the storing
of wheat at the local point under the
present system of distribution is a
pipe dream, and that farmers are
gradually waking up to the fact that
storing grain at the elevator is as
futile as writing checks without a
bank account. AS an illustration, Mr..
Smith brings in load of wheat to his
elevator, tells the warehouseman that
he doesn't wish to sell, but wants to
store his grain for higher price. He
gets storage ticket and goes happily
on his way, feeling that he has done
his duty by not helping glut weak
market. Perhaps before he is out Of
town his wheat has been loaded on a
car and shipped to the terminal. The
money the elevator man gets for Mr..
Smiths wheat, minus small margin
with which he purchases futures, is
used to buy Mr.. Jones' wheat. Mr..
Jones may have pressing bills to meet
and must sell. Thus the elevator man
has bought Jones' wheat, besides tax
ing Smith storage fee on what wheat
has been stored only few hours. II
Mr.. Smith stored his grain for six
months he would have to pay 6M
cents bushel for the privilege Of al
lowing him to use this grain to fin
ance the elevators business.
According to this man, this looks
like easy pickings for the elevator,
but in reality it is hazardous UNDER
taking, for it forces the elevator to
speculate in the farmers products,
and this always is a precarious oc-
cupation for the man not on the in
side. Many an elevator has gone to
the wall through this practice, which
is the most unfair proceeding in the
entire marketing machinery.
The speakers idea is that local ell
evators should serve merely as tenn
porary warehouses and that the mer-
chandising should be done by experts
through cooperative marketing.
The Misses Craig, Koeneke, Even,
McGhie, DeLaHunt, Hutsinpiller, MUIR
ray, Schwandt, Reardon and Nepstad,
Mrs. Ira P. Denning, F. e. Wytten-
bach, J. c. Gould and A. T. johnson
Il unk,,,,rnI Cnx,,~d~,, R-~.. E>-.~