The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1939-01-12

THIS A FREE COUNTRY. Why
don't somebody laugh? It, sure
as hell, would be in order.
Ho Hum. Well the beetgrowers
had a meetin' the other day an
everybody had a good time.
They put on the nose bags an
had a good feed an had a nice
dance in the evening for the
young folks, and during the
meeting, resolutions were passed
and demands were made and
threats were made and blood
preSSureS were reduced by a
general and unrestricted oppor-
tunity to get off the chest any
thing any one wanted to say.
However, as an interested OBJ
server at this meeting we sort
of Sensed a growing indiffer-
ence to not only the acreage
situation but also a growing in
difference to the growing of
beets at all. In other words the
growers are getting more and
more into the discouraging at
titude of "Wot the hell-why
should we worry about more
acreage of sugar beets when
we don't make expenses, let
alone any profits on the beets
NE do grow"
A business man of Hardin
said to us recently, something
along this line: "Why, my good
ness sakes alive, we're a lot
better off here than they are
in communities where they
don't grow sugar beets-why,
look at the money spent in
Hardin, etc., and so on"
Yes Strive instantly agreed
with him but with one eXcep-
ton: When he said, we're bet
ter Off" he wasn't thinking of
the fellow who grows the beets.
Well ready agree that we think
the sugar beet industry is prof
liable to everyone concerned
,xith the exception of the actual
beet grower. BY the time the
Professor and the Labor get
through friskin' him and he
pays his bills Cf he cam he is
ready to try and borrow money
enough to live on until another
spasm strikes him in the spring.
He and his family work long
hours, early and late, to pro-
duce a crop while other people
get up at seven or eight o'clock
in the morning and work about
eight hours a day and play
bridge in the evenings.
One hundred and thirty thou
sand tons of sugar beetS repre-
sent a lot of wealth which when
broken down into the units of
the cost of production means a
lot of money paid for labor and
a lot of money paid out for
groceries, clothing, supplies and
machinery. Primarily, it means
that this wealth flows through
the little town of Hardin re-
gardless of whether or not the
beet grower made a thin dime
and it isn't hard to think that
a lot of this wealth sticks to
Hardin. OF course, this isn't
hard to take, cause everybody
is entitled to make a profit
and even the beet grower
WouAu1A Y lCSa1o IL d Sill. Lie
fact is that he would like to
get hilarious along with the
rest and get his feet in the
same mud puddle.
If it wasn't for the beet grow
er there wouldn't be a sugar
mill in Hardin. If it wasn't for
the beet grower and other
farmers there wouldn't be any
Hardin, to speak of. There
wouldn't be any need for new
street lights and paved streets
an new school buildings an
new court house and water
works an beer parlors. There
wouldn't even be any restricted
speed signs on the highway.
You think this is critical?
Well, mebbe it is. But let's talk
it over for a minute or two and
find out what were drivin' at.
The Holly Sugar Corp. says,
"BoyS, you gotta do Sumthin
about this beet acreage allot-
ment-We should have $4,000
acres of beetS here to make this
thing pay-We can't get any
thing out of Washington, they
won't listen to us-you fellows
gotta get after your congress-
men and get this fixed up
we'll help all we can, O course,
but it's up to you boys to act
but whatever you do, hurry
up"
The Gar down in Washing
ton says, Nov, look here, you
beet growers are gonna hafta
pay your labor what I tell you
to or, BY godfrey, you won't
get anything out of Uncle's grab
bag, an I don't mean mebbe."
The business man in Hardin