The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1922-04-06
Potato Growers In Conference At
Grand Forks Today-Discuss
Marketing Problems And Seek
Remedy For Loss In Shipments.

Grand Forks. N. D., March 81 -
Fifty per cent Of the potato market.
ing troubles can be corrected by
growing a better quality of potatoes
and preparing them for the market
the committee on marketing com.
plants reported today to the potato
growers conference here.
This committee, appointed to in.
vestigate the Minnesota Potato Elk
change and potato commission firms
and private selling agencies, consist.
ed of Gordon w.. Randlett, direction
of extension, Dr.. P. F. Trowbridge
director of experimental station, ano
DR.. John Lee Coulter, president OF
the North Dakota agricultural COL
lege.
They report courtesy on the part
Of the manager of the Minnesota Ex-
change in opening books and records
of the office to them. "The place tc
start solving our marketing trou-
bles is at the shipping point" the
report concluded. Standardization
better quality and proper grading
and sorting are of paramount impor-
lance if North Dakota is to continue
to be successful as a potato growing
state"
In it's investigation the committee
acquired the following facts:
Some of the loss on marketing of
potatoes last season was due to I'M
usual delays in transit caused by the
abnormally heavy movement of pota-
toes during the period Of threaten
ed strike.
The downward trend Of prices COM
bined with delays between the time
of shipping and delivery was fac
tor in the heavy losses sustained by
the growers who consigned their po-
tatoes.
The Minnesota Potato Exchange
receives consignments, inspects them
and reconsigns to the American
Fruit Growers Exchange, who sells
the potatoes through their trade chan
aels. The Minnesota Potato Ex-
change then receives the returns and
after deducting their charges RENTS
to the local associations or individ-
aa1 shipper.
Inadequate system of accounting
is directly responsible for the failure
Of the Minnesota Exchange to make
remittances promptly and to issue
more complete statements.
Tn comparison of shipments, upon
which complaints were filed, con-
signed to the Minnesota Potato En-
change with those made to private
commission firms, it was found that
whiia the net returns were approx
nately the same, the selling cost in
the case of cars Consigned to the
Minnesota exchange were higher.
North Dakota shipments were &C
corded the same treatment by the
Exchange as those from Minnesota
No evidence of dishonesty was
found.
Reliable firms of good commercial
rating deal fairly with the shipper
give good service and adjust losses
honestly. Complaints against thi:
class, of firms were adjusted with
satisfaction to the shipper. Unreli
able firms having no commercial rat
ing usually lacked capital and organ
ization to give the service they prom
ised. Consigning to such firms us
uaIly resulted in loss to the grow
er. z
Local marketing associations en-
courage better grading and sorting
which improves the quality Of tn
product and thereby increases =, tn
value. The local warehouse make
possible the preparation of the pota
toes for the market. The two are Q
inestimable value to the potato grow
ing community.
Potato, acreage in North Dakot
was increased in 1921 over 1920 "a.
per cent; production increased a.
ger cent,