The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-08-08

OBSERVATIONS ALONG THE WAY

Your editor is back on the job after a fifteen day motor tour
through North and South Dakota and southeastern Montana In
spite of heat, dust and the care naturally attendant upon driving a
car over 1900 miles of busy highways, some of them ribby and bumpy,
with a precious cargo of children in charge, it was a highly inter
esung experience because it afforded a chance to observe what
other people and towns are doing, see some places never saw be-
fore and to make comparisons.
So that any who may take a notion to read this stuff may know
just what territory am thinking of, in writing it, the route of the
trip should be outlined It was Wolf Point. winston. Stanley, Minot.
Underwood, Darlington, jamestown, Cakes, into South Dakota to
Aberdeen, Redfield, Huron, Mitchell, Parker, $50 miles from Sioux
Faus) then YES to Rurke acre two grea Indian reservations. the
line, to the Black Hills and Hot Springs, Custer, numerous spots
of beautv or historic interest in the Hills ucb as Sylvan Lake
gantic carvings, Rapid City, Sturgis, Spearffsh, Belle Fourche, then
at Marmarth to Baker, Montana, Wibaux, Glendive, Circle Vida. Of
course there we're many towns in between but these serve to mark
the course of the journey. Our various destinations and longest
stops were Cakes. N d. Parker, Burke, Batesland, and the Hills
points in South Dakota.
At the North Dakota state line, 20 miles this side of WfTiston
a new oil station and a huge "3 Cent Gas" sign greeted us In the
southern part of the state gas was % cents, and in South Dakota
81 cents and in At least one place 2Ok. At Yankton, S. D, which
We did MOI touch, the big Quincy company advertised they would
begin selling gas at II cents n a certain date, because they said
they could lay it down at 1919 cents and make a fair profit at the
AZ cent margin. The gas tax in Montana is 5 cents, in North Da-
kota 3 cents and in South Dakota 4 cents.
A common condition of heat, drouth and dust wa found all over
the territory visited and newspapers said it extended to middle and
Southwestern states. Considering the vast scope of it the long con
tnued hot and ran1ess condition of weather was said to be without
precedent in more than 50 years. The day we started west across
South Dakota temperatures of los and 10 in the shade were shown
by ordinary Observation-Disclosures it or not.
At that time, July 9th, South Dakotas immense acreage of
corn was said to be damaged so per cent and nothing but Immediate
heavy rains would save the other half And the rains did not come.
Not any kind of a shower, any place. The heat, drouth, low grain
prices, and the much advertised business depression were the
topics of conversation with a strong tendency to find fault
with almost everything but especially the Farm Board. It was very
plain that the constant discussion and agitation would make the
alleged depression worse if and when it arrives. Everybody is
looking for and expecting a soft snap that would yield them easy
money. Many people asked questions about my part OF the country
and wanted to know about crops and times, and if the Depression
had reached there. I persistently denied knowledge of any such
bird. This sort of thing, repeated over and over, impressed me deeply
with the fact that our part of the West is far better off than we
know OF appreciate, if W e would only live up to our opportunities
The editor will have a lot more to say about his observations
in next weeks issue.