The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-10-26
BY LOWNDES MAURY


large colonies in concealed places
cause great damage to the wood
work of buildings and the roots OF
growing crops"
Termites bore from within. A build
ing may be about to fall before their
work is apparent to the eye. They
make no noise. One bite by itself is
harmless. The number is so large
working night and day, if not discoy.
cred and eradicated, they quickly de-
stroy fine building or a promising
crop.
If the keeper of a house encour-
ages colony by artificial feeding and
selected queens, the termites destroy
the house much faster.
Termites infest Montana's economic
structure.
The cause why our population, since
Governor Ford first took office, has
fallen off above ten per cent, making
allowance for absence in armed serv-
ice, is that he encourages the ter
mites He selects termites to control
termites These merely guide other
termites to more efficient undermin-
ing of our commonwealth. He OBJ
structs any group that tries to control
or extirpate termites, or tries to build
wealth, promotive of advances of the
the Tennessee valley has proven
sound against the entrance of ter
mites.
The Termites Fight Together
There is a Grand Alliance of ter
mites in Montana. The Oldest mem
ber is the railroad group. Next in
point of time, the insurance group.
Then came to the infant state the
telegraph, telephone, express groups.
About the year 1900 invasion began
of the electric power and light group.
In 1916 came the merger chain bank
group termites. The lumber termites.
Big Blacgfoot Company, ETC., would
before this, have slashed all timber
in the state if Theodore Roosevelt
had not stopped them with his forest
conservation program. The Anaconda
company in part is productive in
wealth, promotive of adcances of the
art of metallurgy, but is in many ways
a termite-for instance, it undermines
good buildings in Butte. 1t classifies
itself with the other termites-is in
spired by the others. These look up
to the Anaconda as their prophet.
The Railroads
The railroad termites have discrimi-
mated against Montana for sixty years
There was once cheap river naviga-
ton to Fort Benton from st. Louis.
The Northern Pacific and Great North
ern for years procured congress to
discourage this. Finally our senior SEN
ator, Wheeler to aid the railroads
helped get the Fort Peck dam, which |
he and they thought would forever |
block navigation of the Missouri. 1t |
will do so unless the Missouri valley
authority builds locks there. In 1922,
Mr. Wheeler campaigned for the SEN
ate, crying to the farmers that 20
cents bushel freight on wheat was
extortionate, South of the Line"
while Canadian Pacific North of the
Line" carried wheat equal distances
for 10 cents the bushel
He now, in 1916, opening his 1916
campaign to fool the farmers, says he |
is starting IAN investigation to find |
out if there is discrimination in freight |
rates against the Northwest" He
might might have learned the answer
in 1931-1932, when wheat brought 43
cents in Minneapolis, and freight on
it from Glendive to Minneapolis was
20 cents.
Senator, the freight on automobiles
and farm machinery is higher from
Detroit and Chicago to Miles City
than from the factories to Seattle or
Spokane. You should find out whether
Montana suffers from freight discrimi-
nation annually as much as five mil
lion dollars every year. Estimates
range higher.
The Tennessee Valley Authority has
revived cheap river-borne freights.
Insurance Termites
For thirty years the state auditor
has kept figures on insurance pre-
miums and losses in Montana. The
annual proportion of premiums col
lected to losses paid has been above
300 per cent on life insurance, 100
per cent on fire insurance. Equal prof
it's on accident collision, and other
forms. Until in 1914, the foreign-owned
insurance companies collected in pre-
miums ten and one-half million dol
lars from Montana people more than
they paid back in losses to Montana
people. This excess is more than the
entire state budget-except highway
outlay.
and Express Termtes
For many years these privately
owned concerns gouged Montana
with extortionate rates. The Inter /
state Commerce Commission has low !!
cred the rates much on telegraph and
telephone service. But the great cure
or express company overcharges was /
government competeition-the Parcels !.
POST. =
EIectrics Light and Power If
The Federal Power Commission got
he figures and made calculations of
ow much more electricity cost in each III
tate in 1914 than it would have cost HI
nder Tennessee Valley Authority III
ates. In 1914 it cost $500, 100000 III