Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-03-05

ltHE IkANSCklFl
4. A. HARDWOOD, .Editos s Proprietor.
AUSTIN, MIMI
THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH, 5. 1874.
MILLS - ELEVATORS.
During some weeks past, the gram
zee have been asitatiug the question
of:erectiug IA elevator, at tho depot in
,tis city, In doing 50, they Of
course Hxvs in view the advancement
Of the interests Of the wheat. producers. |
From their stand point then, let u ~
whether an elevator is what they most
need. :-.7,-<
It requires no argument to make
people believe that the net return for
produce will be greater or less, acsor-
ding 10 tho number Of hands through
which it p.s,es, before it is consumed;
that tho shorter the distance between
production and consumption, the less
~ll the marketing cost; that if wheat
could b sold in Minnesota for the
price which il dsmands. in New York,
agriculture were moro .rsounerative
than any othsr- pursuit. These truths
are sslfeviient. Let M inquire uhy
our great staple u increased 20 much by
being placed on 'h. .e.bbo ard. "a There
are s~o principal reasons. We will call
them /ox.dotionol, because they un-
derlis all others The frst is, that it
costs to transport the second, that pro-
ducs in the raw, is always. subject Of
speculation. There are facts connected
With carrying and handling which: re-
salt from the close relationship be.
tween railway and steamboat COM
Pauies, and those who buy for shipment.
Oas i this. Rates for short distance
are disproport;onateIy higher than for
. long ons,-hsnce there are but few
it snY &krv.yh routes. Another -, the
greater the number Of oonsigpments,
il eivss' distance, the. more parties
there AZ to 10 paid for the risk they
assume in becoming fac orr between
the farm, whore tho wheat grows, and
the family that consumes it. Much of
the wheat bought here is sold in Mil.
waukss, and perhaps again in Chicago,
certainly, if sent east by rail. lfria
tho lakes, it is sold again IN i Buffalo,
nor With our present facilities for trans
portation o,n this be avoided, for the
buyers and the carriers are mutually
interested in making tho transit as
t.rdy and broken Is possible, 50 that
At best, nine tenths Of b1inuesota's great
4ersal reaches Now York and the other
casters markets. At the nigh rates i'm
posed for short distances, and passes
through ~ many factors a. there are
prominent stopping places, along the
route. This Is the way. orr wheat goes
10 market and to build elevators: q
central points in productive districts,
i to did in perpesu.tiug this gigantic
fraud upon the honest industry Of the
vestern states. But this is not oil.
Our wheat, when shipped in bulk, does
not reach the eastern markets, unmixed.
AT Chiesgo, and At Buffalo, it is CON-
binsd in about equal quantities With
The poorer grades produced in 1llinoi.
and in Indiana, and BY the eontamina'
ton, diminished. in value from ten T.
fifteen esnts per bushsl, and not unfre
qusutly more than that, because while
it would otherwise grade No. l
BY. reason Of the mixture, it de
grades No. 2. Thus NO suffer direct
y in the matter Of price, and .cont,ns
ally 10 reputation getting credit 70
raising poor grade Of wheat, whe'
our prodnot il, in fact, ono Of the YER.
best quality. It 10 to the establish
msnt and prosperity Of this couditic
"ofthiugs, that the building Of an oil
:vator viii tend to contribute.
On the other hand, if 10 build
mill here At the ssms cost required I
build an elevator, We will grind neal
.ly - much wheat - We would othe
wise ship, without manufacturing i
BY this process ws may save, lst, a
thay 10 now paid to intermediate PAL
ties, or middle mcn. I'd, alt that is pal
for short routes, in excess Of the pric
charged tor su uninterrupted transit
because Aour u not desirable comm,
1i<J to handle, merely for speculation
at istra"sit* points. Wheat ont
~.nafsctsred. always takes the shor
at route 70 the mouths If consumer.
Sd, " sa,> al that may be gained b
the process Of manufacture, aud that
not incousidersble. 1t includes Ii
benefit resulting to the country fro
the investment OF the necessary capitu
from the utilization Of our abundsl
astsral resources; from tho employmer
efthe labor aud skill of our own. cit
sens from the certainty Of = mark.
unaffected By the caprice If eastea
operators; and from tho fact that on
own production may be thrown upo
the marts Of tho world, for competitio
and sale, without first having been d,
teriorated BY 4 viiiainoue mixtu,
with tho inferior qualities grown an
pre- pared in other states j.; and this vi
b not less than ten per cent, upo
every dollars value which We may e,
port.
But this 10 not al. We have ne,
or yet produced any excess Of I'll
Coarper Qraina. We ara conatantlu in