The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 15, 1917, Page 9

3\ TN TR S = P, The millers and grain combine are very much pleased with the new federal grain standards as “tentatively” fixed; but in hard luck again. ) A\ 0 %% AWM\ \:Q:l, 'y it begins to look like the farmer was Frazier Praised for Elevator Veto OVERNOR FRAZIER is being commended for his action in vetoing the terminal elevator bill, his action being noted with much gratification by those interested in state-owned termi- nal elevators. Telegrams, letters and long distance telephone calls from all parts of the state have been received by the gover- nor. Dr. E. F. Ladd, head of the North Dakota Agricultural college approves the stand of the chief executive of the siate. He bases his disapproval of the bill on his friendship for the farmers’ program of state-owned industries. He shares the governor’'s view that a terminal elevator such as provided in the bill would not be valuable because it would be too small. He believes, also, that a state-owned flour mill operated in connection with a state- owned elevator is a necessity to gain the maximum of good from - state ownership. FRAZIER DID RIGHT SAYS DOCTOR LADD R “I believe that Governor Frazier did right when he refused the buck that was handed him on the terminal ele- vator proposition,” said Dr. Ladd. “I doubt the wisdom of this measure that would establish such a terminal elevator,” said Dr. Ladd. ‘“With the $300,000 appropriated not much could be accomplished. The capacity of the elevator would be too small and it would have but very little effecki upon the market situation. No provision was made for a flour mill to be operat- ed with the terminal elevator and therefore there would be no chance to experiment to show what could be done with state-owned industries along this line. “The assembly has appropriated more money than the income of the state and some slashes were necessary. It is better to cut off the appropriation for the terminal elevator which under the circumstances would be a money loser, than it would be to cut off the appropriation of the Dickinson normal school or other educational institu- tions. “I question whether the plan pro- posed is carrying out the wishes of the people. The Nonpartisan League, I be- lieve, favors the financing of state- owned industries by bond issue to be a direct liability against the industries themselves. In this way these indus- tries would finance themselves and there would be no extra burden upon the people.” TOWNLEY IS PLEASED BY GOVERNOR'S ACTION. A. C. Townley, president of the Non- partisan League, in St. Paul, in an in- terview with a St. Paul paper approv- ed the action of the governor. “A terminal elevator should be Fight for Fair Grades Carried ORTH DAKOTA practically made a single-handed fight for the wheat growers of the Northwest for a square deal in wheat grades before a hear- ing in the department of agriculture, Washington, D. C. Wednesday and Thursday of last week. Indications are that North Dakota will win its fight. Pursuant to a concurrent resolution passed by the Fifteenth Assembly of North Dakota, Attorney General Wil- liam Langer and Commissioner of Agriculture J. N. Hagan went to Wash- ington to defend the farmers’ interests. Other North Dakota men were pres- ent at the hearing, including United States Senators McCumber and Gronna and Congressmen Helgesen, Young and Norton. Others who attended are Nor- man Malcolm, secretary of the Stark County Grain Growers asseciation and Simon J. Nagle, secretary of the Mor- ton County Grain Growers association. . INSIST ON TERM “NORTHERN” WHEAT Langer and Hagan presented the views of the grain growers particularly against nomenclature for northern grown wheats proposed by the depart- ment of agriculture and insisted that instead of"the names ‘“dark hard red spring wheat” and “hard red spring wheat” as proposed by the department of agriculture terms “number one hard spring wheat” and “number one north- ern spring wheat” be retained. Pro- test was also made against the per- centage of moisture content specified for the different grades of wheat and against dockage provisions of official grain standard, which included a pro- test that “D Feed” wheat was not re- ‘represented. EIGHT built, with money provided by first mortgage bonds against the elevator itself, and similarly against the flour mill which should be built in connec- tion with such an elevator,” A. C, Townley, declared. “A terminal elevator without a flour mill is like a stockyard without a packing plant, for people do not eat wheat itself. They eat the flour made from wheat.” . On Friday, President R. J. Montgom- ery of Tappan and Secretary D. C. Shipley of Bismarck called on the gov- ceiving the grade }hat it should, its milling quality considered as its true basis. Facing the little group of North Da- kotans were over 200 men, including exporters, millers from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth and every grain exchange in the United States was North Dakotans alone represented both producer and con- sumer. MINNESOTA MAN HELPS IN THE FIGHT Protests and arguments of the North Dakotans were 8o effective on the first day that Chairman Charles J. Brand of the bureau of markets and rural organization made a ruling that North Dakota should have a special session the next day. One of the best friends North Da- kota had in the fight the second day was Commissioner Jacobsen of the Minnesota railroad and warehouse commission. He assisted in making a vigorous fight against the proposed change in the moisture content of wheat, which, * it is proposed, to reduce from 16 per cent to 14. He contended this was merely a subterfuge to enable buyers to obtain high grade wheat at a lower grade and would consequently result in a loss of millions of dollars to the Northwestern farmers. Protests were also made by him against the proposed plan to include small wheat in the dockage, contending that any wheat that makes flour is wheat and to call it anything else is merely to rob the farmer. Protest was also made against the ' Ing lecture February 16. ernor to congratulate him in behalf of the Farmers’' State Educational Union for his veto of the bill The Old Guard press association formed at Bismarck to combat the Nonpartisan League, sent out several articles in an attempt to show that there is a dissension between the Equity and the League as a result of the veto. The Equity in its annual convention at Bismarck held recently indorsed the program of the League and Governor Frazier. to Washington lowering of the percentage of Durum wheat in the high grades. North Da- kotans stated that' it is impossible to. keep a slight percentage of Durum out of wheat in a country where Durum is raised, that it is a hard wheat anyhow, and that even according to the present percentage, when mixed in elevators, ;.he percentage automatically becomes ess. Experts of the agriculture depart- ment attacked the conclusions reached by Dr. E. F. Ladd, head of the agricul- tural college, alleging his tables were mathematically wrong and that his conclusions were accordingly in error. North Dakotans, after the hearings, stated that if the decision on the grad- ‘- ing of grain.goes against the farmers:: an appeal: will be taken to Secretary . - ot. Agricultural Houston. Ninety days will be allowed for appeal and neither ‘time nor money will be spared to make it effective. SOUTH DAKOTA WANTS LEAGUE 3 Artesian, 8. D., Feb. 21, 1917. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: ; ‘W. H. Talmage of Flandreau, South Dakota, representing the Nonpartisan Political League, gave a very interest- I am sorry to say the crowd was not ag large as it would have been if the meeting had been advertised sooner. Mr. Talmage is an able speaker and can handle his subject to perfection. He also gave a short talk in the forenoon at our local high school. ‘The League is rather new around here, but hope you will send us an organizer in the spring as we want South Dakota on the map in 1918, ALVIN HANSON.