The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-09-16
Unconstitutionality of Anti.
Discrimination Law Brings
Dificulty-La Moure indie.
pendent Concern Charges
Monopolistic Aims by Com.
pcti!or-Fight Also on at
MinOt

pcti!or-Fight Also on al
Min0t
Recent action Of the state ant
FEDERAL supreme courts in holdins
unconstitutional the state anti dis
crlmination cream buying law hi.
precipitatcd bitter warfare between
large centralized creamerics ant
small local establishments, according
TO John HUSKY, dairy commissions
IN the state department Of agricul.
ture and labor.
The state anti.disc alton Law
was first called into action in y case
originating at Dickinson where !
small creamery operator charged
that the North American Dreamer,
company was trying to drive hin
out Of business by forcing him to
pay more for cream than any othcl
creamery in the state was paying.
Criminal Action Brought
a criminal action was brought
against officers Of tho offending com.
pany and they were convicted in the
district court. While their appea
was pending in the state supre me
court . similar case was decided By
tha United States supreme court
which held the anti.discriminatior
law unconstitutional.
The latest outbreak Of the cream
buying war ccntcrs around LaMourc
and Minot, according to information
reaching his office, HUSKY said and
again involves the practice Of the
larger creamcries Of increasing the
price paid for cream in territory
from which this small creamery re.
ceives the bulk Of its raw product.
On September l, HUSKY said. he
travelled through the Southeastern
part Of the state, touching the towns
Of Steele, Medina, Streeter, Gacklc
Kuhn. LaMoure, Lisbon and Endcrlin
OF these points Gacklc, LaMourc
Lisbon and Enderlin have small local
creamcries and in each case the
price paid by the big centralized
creameries was much higher in the
towns with local creamerics than IN
those where there was no local com.
petition.
The average price Of cream
throughout the state on September
] was 81 to 80 cents per pound OF
butterfat. HUSKY said.
At Steele. HUSKY said. the prevail
ing price, established BY the cen.
tralized creameries, was SO cents a
pound. At Medina il was 81 cents
at Gacklc Al, Kuhn 81, LaMoure as.
Lisbon 40 and Endcrlin Al.
War Ccnters at LaMoure
The price war in the area. he said
nj la
independent creamery was paying a.
cents as compared with - cents for
sour cream and 46 cents for sweet
cream being paid BY the cream sta
ton buying for the centralized cream
cry. The local creamery was paying
AZ cents pound for sweet cream.
Taking up the cudgels for the local
creamcries. newspapers at LaMourc
and Strecter have definitely taken
sides with the local plants and are
urging farmers to support them.
In it's September issue the La
Mourc Chronicle put a large bead
line on an article in which it outlined
its view that the local creamery is
responsible for the high price being
paid for cream. The same issue car
ried q half-pagc advertisement by the
local creamery in which the claim
IS made that presence Of the indie.
pendent creamery is responsible for
the high price being paid for butter
fat at LaMourc.
The news article also points on,
that the same creamery which Is
paying 46 cents at LaMoure, as COM
pared with the independent cream.
ery's price of AZ cents. Is paying only
90 cents at Cakes.
Newspapers at Kuhn and Strectcr
also have joined in the fight. Each
resents the cream price paid in its
town as compared with the price at
LaMoure and each city, HUSKY said
he il informed, has launched . move
ment to organize small Independent
rreameries so as to raise the prices
paid to farmers OF the area tol
cream. m
The Streeter newspaper editor
HUSKY said,sh expressed the inten-
tion Of launching newspaper q
: GaAkle to inform the farmers Of that
district of the situation and induce
them to support their local creamery
Charges M0nOpolixati0n
The object Of the big centralized
creameries. the LaMoure newspaper
charges. is to force the local cream
cry out Of business. whereupon the
price Of cream would be dropped to
the same level as existed before the
local creamery began business:
The editor inquiries: rs it better
10 have . creamery for a long period
Of years. with the prestige It brings
any community, and q uniformly
high scale Of prices. during such. Ions
term. or is + better TO gain q few
cents q pound for few months. un.
til the creamery is put out OF bust
ness by the .centralizers. and then
take low prices over a long period
until another creamery can be IN
duced to open again..
Take Drastic Steps
Meanwhile. HUSKY said. the. indie
pendent creamery at LaMoure hai
taken steps to meet its big competi-
tors at their own game. It has op..
cned a cream station at EdgeIey q
which it is offering a higher price
for cream than heretofore has been
paid there by It's big competitor
HUSKY said. The new cream station
will be open for business only three
days q week.
A check Of the butter market
HUSKY said. shows that no creamery
can operate at . profit il its cream
costs as much as Is beng paid By
the agent for the centralized cream
cry at LaMoure:
Unless the efforts to survive being
made by the small cresmeries arr
successful, HUSKY said. the result
will be to give the centralized cream.
cries complete control Of the situa'
ton with loss Of local Industries to
many small towns.