The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-10-20

manager, which now buys wheat for
all of them, at an expense but little
!, in excess of what was formerly
borne by each one Of the larger es-
Establishments. The saving is proba-
bly, seven-eights. The terms of as.
ISOLATION are such as assures ample
supplies generally, but if scarcity &C.
ours, the arrangement for dividing
gives the smaller establishments the
advantage. Another benefit arising
from this system is that, by the con-
solidation of their funds and credit,
when wheat is plenty, the buyers of
the mills can remain in the markets
longer and buy up greater aggre-
gate quantity, than under the old
isolated system. Hence, they be-
come better able to compete with
shippers. When wheat is scarce,
they can afford to bid so much
above the shipping buyers as to
drive the latter temporarily out Of
market. But when there are no
buyers for shipping in any local mar
ket, the millers pay the same price
there that wheat is bringing in Min
neapolis, less the freight to that
point; and under all circumstances
they refuse to combine with ship
pers to reduce prices in any locality.
1t may occasionally occur that
the receipts are so large that shippers
cannot move what the millers do
not want; and in that case the lat
ter are compelled, in self-protection,
to put down the price. But this
condition is far less likely to exist
now than when the millers were
isolated, for the reason we have al
ready stated, and the facts prove
that it is not apt to happen at all.
The Association went into operation,
we believe, on the first day Of July,
1874. A careful inspection of the
Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneap-
oils quotations for the year follow
ing that event shows that the aver
age prices for No. wheat in the
three cities were: Chicago, CSC;
Milwaukee, 1ooHc; Minneapolis,
93c. This places Minneapolis prices,
plus freight and handling, 1oHc and
13c higher than in the other cities
named. Previous to the organiza-
ton of the Millers' Association no
such result was shown.
Again, take the interval since Ju-
ly 1st, 1875, till October 10th, 1875,
and we find that the Milwaukee
quotations average $1.21 for No. I,
and $1.16 for No. 2, while Mime
apolis prices average $1.1oH for
No. I, and $1.o7H for No. 2; and
this, too, Notwithstanding the high
price ruling in Milwaukee during
three weeks in August, when a cor
ner was made and No. I ran up to
$1.35. The truth is, then, that the
Minneapolis Millers' Association
has made that city a much better
market for Minnesota wheat than
Milwaukee and Chicago. 1t will
not be denied that the effect of in
creasing the price of wheat in mar
kets tributary to Minneapolis, has
been to advance it more or less
throughout the State, and it follows,
therefore, that the farmers of the
entire State are benefited by these
Minneapolis millers.
But the advantage does not stop
at influencing the markets through
sympathy alone. Their enterprise
has stimulated other parties to en-
bark in the milling business, and
wherever water or steam power can
be made prodtably available, mills
are being built and new buyers of
wheat for milling are competing in
the markets with buyers for shipping,