Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-03
THE ELEVATOR SCHEME.
How the NiIiers, Merchants, Railroads
and Farmers would be Benefited
Practical Suggestions for their Care.
Gul Ccu<ft ration


How the sIfIiers, Merchants, Railroads
and Farmers would be Benefited
Practical Suggestions for their Care.
full Consideration.
To the Union and American:
/ ha noticed with much pleasure your
advocacy of The building of grain eleva-
tor in our city. The advantages of such
an institution must be apparent to every
rejecting mind. Let us see what they are:
IL would enable our millers TO do a more
legitimate business and make more uni
form grade of flour, and also to run their
mills ON less capital than they do now,
firstly avoiding that system which, to be-
come spectators against their will in or
der to prevent the major portion of the
wheat crop from being moved out of the
State or being held by the producer in such
a way as to damage its quality; secondly
by enabling our millers to purchase wheat
of the proper classification to make GER
tain grade of flour, and thereby
secure by proper inspection a much
greater uniformity in their various brands;
thereby to run ON less capital by having
access to supplies held by Others, which
can be drawn upon as their wants may die
OF IN buCAu " OCNOAAhC ONB-
ers of wheat in store upon the elevate e
ceipt, for which, under proper classification,
loans may be obtained and such receipts
hypothecated as collateral security with our
various financial institutions These re-
ceipts, being of negotiable character and
transferable, would soon prove as good col
laterals as five-twenty bonds, aud even bet
ter because they would be the representa-
tive of a real svalues a product Of the soil,
and that product insured against loss by
fire or damage, owing to the constant care
and attention bestowed upon IL by compe-
tent hands, with all of the proper means
and appliances at hand.
ADVANTAGES To THE MERCHANT.
Again, an elevator would enable our
merchants and tradesmen to handle with
more ease, a. less expense and with no lit
igAtion or trouble, the-cOrn, wheat and
other cereals of the country. 1t is an adj
mitted fact that one of the most serious
drawbacks to profits In this trade grows out
of the weight or bulkiness of grain; when
handled several times and drayed once or
twice, the usual expenses, which are heavy,
must be added to its cost, thus practically
placing us beyond the pale of competition
| with markets which have the advantages OF
elevators. 1t would save the merchant
| much trouble, as the managers of the ele-
vatOr would give the consignee notice that
so many bushels or pounds OF a
certain kind Of grain have been
received for his account, which he had
| directed his consignor to store with the
company. evidencing the fact with a GER
| tificate of the amount, condition and CLASH
fication, which be could dispose Of without
so much as turning his hand to it or walk
| ing to the elevator, his receipt being evil
dence not only of its quality. but a guar
antee to the purchaser of weight or quanti-
| ty. 1t would avoid litigation aud trouble,
because the receipt bears evidence of the
thing or commodity sold.
The merchant would also have all of the
financial advantages which flow to the
miller. 1t would enable amateurs who are
no judges Of grain, to deal in it successful
| ", because of the fact of its classification
by experts in the business. 1t would avoid
! the eXpensiFeness of sacks, which
usually cost from six to eight
cents per bushel, thus placing our
selves in the attitude OF demanding
this amount from purchasers who have
no real use for them and who are to-
day, giving our merchants the gO-by, and
are purchasing in other markets, on ac-
count of the fact that they can ship to their
homes in bulk, and thus avoid loss by not
purchasing sacks, which they do not want
| or paying other stipends which are wholly
useless to them, and which do not benet
our merchants to the value of anything
/ 1t will also benefit our draymen and labor
ers BY relieving them of the heavy handling
| of sacks, enabling them to drive their bulk
wagons to the elevator, load in One-tenth
of the time now necessary. drive 10 ths
mills or places OF deposit and also unload
by simply raising the lever of their wagon
| spout, without so much as leaving theil
seats ON top Of their wagon, by this process
avoiding IlnaWaES and In many cases dam
age to innocent parties.
ADVANTAGES TO THE RAILROADS,
1t will very largely benefit our railroads
by enabling them to unload a car Of bulk
grain IN ten minutes by the watch, and
thus quickly get the use of their cars, great
" attracting transportation over their va
rious lines by reason of cheaper facilities for
.:aa5aiiiins.
ADVANTAGES To THE PARNEBs.
Ii will be of more advantage TO the far
mer than to any one other class of the COM
munity. 1t will enable him to remain at
home and write to the railroad agent or
commission merchant, directing the send
ing of as many bulk cars as he deslIes, and
sending his grain to the elevator, where it
viii be insured and well handled and kept
sound and sweet without any trouble in the
world to him. He can remain at home and
dispose of his crop there or by rail and
by his elevator receipt give official evidence
of its quality and weight. He will save
barn-room by shipping direct from the field
of production, avoid at least one handling
al hone, and never lose anything by dam
age to the grain.
The writer will state here that the dam
age to the farmers of Middle Tennessee
alone from weevil, musk, mould, heating
and other dangers to which wheat and corn
is subject, hss not cost less than from a
quarter TO half million of dollars. 1t is
not unfrequently the case that plump, we'll
cleansed wheat is sold for fifty to sixty
cents per bushel less than it would have
brought had it been sound and sweet. 1t
will also enable the farmer to sell when it
suits him TO dispose Of his crop, avoiding
low prices by the use of his receipt as col
lateral for money borrowed. This adyan-
tage alone putting him in a position of
great independence.
AN ELEVATORS GENERAL ADVANTAGES
are so great that no Northern or Western
village is without from one to ten of them.
The stock always commands a premium.
They are very extensively patronized, in
fact nc grain operator will deal extensively
in anything else but elevator receipts.
Nashville is now waking up, Her cotton
and tobacco men have but recently spoken
in thunder tones that there is life in the old
land yet, Let our grain dealers throw
their flags TO the breeze, snnif the air of
progress, put their shoulders to the wheels
of commerce and sue cess will crown their
efforts