The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1878-07-25
THE WICHITA GRAIN MARKET.
Pooling, and Other Unrightsaus Combinations.

farmers oil this vicinity go 10 the WSihul "
get their grinding done in order that they
may get a satisfactory deal.
An old and familiar adage reads: "When
rogues fall out honest people get their dues.''
One OF the grain poolers said to US when dis
cussing the grain question, ''Why, we re-
manned silent about the pools among the hog
and cattle Dealers, He then proceeded to
give us the following bits Of information !:
"One dealers goes into the market, makes
| an offer for hogs on sale he then retires. An
other buyer puts in an appearance; asks
what has been offered, and Offers an advance
| Of few cents, remarking at the same time
| that the first bidder belongs to the pool. 9th
err bidders seldom appear. II they do they
offer less than has been offered. No. 2 gets
the stock. 1t is subsequently shipped, and
when returns are received they meet and d.
vide the profits"
| The Kansas City Journal says: In consid-
Grafton of the fact that the price Of all cereals
are ruling universally low this season, Mr.. i.
| +. Cakes, of the Kansas Pacific railway, has
| decided to make a reduction on the east
bound tariff rates of the road he represents
for all kinds Of grain and other leading farm
products. The new schedule Of rates is to
| be dated July 20, and the reduction nom the
old tariff is about two cents on wheat. This
disposition on the part OF the Kansas Pacific
| to share with its patrons the losses from
shrlnkags in values cannot fail to MAINTAIN
the popularity of this fayorite trunk line. The
Fort Kearney and the Solomon branche
share in this reduction.
Can't the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
| railroad take similar view OF the case and
give the Arkansas valley reduction
John Mccormack threshed seven and ha II
| bushels of oats which yielded sixty-ive bush
els TO the acre.
POOLING
Since the last issue Of the EAGLE our grain
and market reporter has had the pleasure OF
interviewing a number of grain buyers ana
elevator operators. Some Of them evinced
spirit of kindness, becoming business men ana
gentlemen, while others, with buster, braga-
docio and curses, made threats OF what they
can and will do for the EAGLE for meddling
in something it had no business to. So far as
| any threats made by few men who do not
own dollars worth of property in this
courtyard who have no interest in common
with this people, and whose every action H.
dicates that they are on the make regardless
of principle--goes, we care nothing; and we
will say to those parties in the start that We
do not propose to sit around and allow them
TO come into our city, form pools, and put up
Jobs on the farmers to skin them out OF their
hard earnings, without raising our voice In
protest against it. The argument used to us
by one person was: the newspapers of tho city
ought TO keep still, for if we published to the
world that the grain dealers were pooling 1t
would drive the trade away from the city to
other railroad points. We apprehend that
the only way TO protect the farmer, and draw
trade and hold trade, is to insure or guarantee
to him that he will get the highest market
price for his products, free from pools or CON-
binations among the Buyers, and we know of
ho other way TO break up pool, when exist
ing, than to notify farmers OF the fact. After
we have done that, then we will have accom-
plished all that we set out to do. AS to the
question whether or not pools have been
formed from time to time in this city, and
successfully operated, there is no doubt; and
we presume it is not worth while for US to
publish the minutes of one OF their meetings
TO convince the incredulous. And while we
are on this subject we might as well give it
good airing touching the matter of weights,
for there has been downright robbery perpe-
trated on some of the farmers, and no doubt.
We will give an instance (which occurred
few DAYS ago: Three farmers, neighbors liv-
ing west of the river, loaded wagon with
wheat by measure from the bin, and one OF
them hauled it TO town and had it graded and
weighed and sold 1t for sixty cents. The next
day the same parties loaded the same wagon
from the same bin with equal numbers OF
bushels, hauled it 10 town, 1t graded the
same as the other load, but he could only get
ffty-five cents per bushel, which he accepted,
but when il was weighed and footed up his
Gity-fiye cent load amounted to more than the
sixty cent load. We can cite to other instan-
ces. The questions OF grades and weights
can, we think, be entirely overcome by the
action of the City Council, and we deem 1t
their duty to take immediate action. The way
is PLAIN and easily accomplished. The city
can put in pair OF scales, furnish man to
tend them, employ n man to grade the wheat,
and the revenue derived from weighing, (only
charging small sum. which the farmers will
willingly pay, will be sufficient to deiray the
expenses of the whole. This mode OF doing
is in successful operation. so we are informed !,
| in greater shipping points than this. The
nodus operaadi is simple. The farmer comes
| onto the street near the scales; the grader
| grades his wheat; marks it on tab; he
| drives no the scales; has the weight marked
| on the same tab he IS then ready for the
market OF buyer AS to the charge made
against us that we will array or generate an
| i'll feeling in the minds of the farmers against
the buyer, we simply say this: That the feel
! ing is in existence, and is assuming immense
proportions, and the only remedy for il is a
| fair, open, honest and square deal, and we
will guarantee that the farmers VIII ''chip in
and the game will so on" Let us figure lit
tie ami see the result: Sedgwick and Sumner
counties combined have about one hundred
and sixty thousand acres of wheat harvest
ed. At very low estimate it will average
twenty bushels to the acre making three million
four hundred thousand bushels. Add to this
| one million more bushels which will come from
Butler, Covley, Harper and Barbour counties
and we have the enormous sum of four mill
ion, four hundred thousand bushels. Three
| fourths OF this amount will be marketed, ship
ped by rail, and must necessarily pass through
the elevators; safe estimate will make it
| three millions of bushels The elevators
charge two cents per bushel for handling,
which amounts to sixty thousand dollars; al
lowing, for the sake OF argument, that our es-
innate is too large, we will divide it by two,
making it thirty thousand dollars for leading
the crop on the cars. This for wheat alone,
net taking into account corn, oats, etc. Then
let the legitimate owners and operators Of the
elevators in this city do square business
meet the farmers half way give them honest
weights and fair grades; show them the latest
quotations from eastern markets, (honesty
begets confidence) and you will have in the
farmer friend that will stick closer to you
tn an brother.
An Address.
| Tdrzaers of .Sedoactck Cot..fy: