Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-18
STARTING THE STATE PLANT

At the meeting of the Industrial commission
held at Bismarck on Monday it was definitely de-,
|cided that the actual operation of the state mill and
elevator at Grand Forks should begin next week.
The date Of the formal opening is fixed for the
following Monday, but the actual operation will
begin a few days earlier in order that time may be
given for the adjustments which are found neces-
|sary in the operation of new machinery.
1t is to be noted that the arrangements for the
of the plant are in accordance with the
plans made in the early spring, announcement of
which was made at the time, and similar announce
ments have been made from time to time as the
work progressed. There has at, no time been any
material change either in the general plans or in the
date when it was estimated that the plant would
be ready for operation!
? When the present administration took over the
work from its predecessor, work on the c%onstruc-i
ton of this plant had been suspended for over a
year: 1t was in the dead of winter, and resumption
OF work at that time would have been impossible
even had funds been available with which to con-
tinue. Funds were not available, and the ~construc-
ton work itself had been so handled by the previous
that the whole job was in a state of con-
fusion. 1t was necessary to straighten out that con-
fusion, to organize for the summers work, and to.
obtain funds with which to, meet the costs as they
ACCRUED. Under the direction of the commission a
survey of the whole situation was made and recon-
mendations were made; for orderly procedure. BY
the time spring opened arrangements had been
made for funds, and as soon as the weather per
mitted construction work was resumed where it
had been discontinued. .
Last spring the entire plant consisted practically
of the half-fnished walls and floors of the mill and
elevator building proper and the foundations for
the grain tanks. Since that time those partly COM
|pleted buildings have been completed, except in
minor details, thirty-two great concrete grain tanks
have been built from the ground up, the entire group
having a storage capacity of over ! 10000 bushels,
a power plant suitable for the operation of all the
machinery has been built, and machinery for the
performance of every operation has been devised,
manufactured, shipped, and installed, until the ma:
chinery item is now IS per cent complete, and that
machinery will be in operation next week.
During this time there have been the delays in
cident to the coal strike, which itnpeded both manu-
~facture and transportation, the rail strike, which
held up transportation, mistakes by the former ad-
ministration which had to be corrected often at the
cost of valuable time. Yet the plant will be in oper-
alton within the time estimated and announced lonp
ago.
Messrs. Frazier and Lemke, by themselves or
their agents,sor y both, are trying to convince the
farmers of the state that it has not been the inten-
ton of the present administration to have this plant
ready for operation in time to handle any Of this
years crop, and it is being stated that the operation
of the plant now will be of no service, as the crop
lot this year is already gone. The people who are
making these statements know them to be false, and
the farmers to whom they are made, if they give
the subject a moments thought will be convinced
that they are false. In the first place, everyone
knows that the construction Of the exterior Of a
building is the smallest part of the. work, especially
when that building is to be equipped with vast
quantities of machinery for the performance Of
complicated processes. The present administration
has had these few spring and summer months with
lin (which to complete the shells of two buildings, to
perform all the other construction work, and to pro.
all the machinery and get it in place, lined 10
Iand2ready to run. In the SECOND place, the crop this
lyear is not gone, By any rneans, no, Is it going very