The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-06-05

with every cargo that now reaches Great
barges are being rapidly built to ply on the
Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers and
their tributaries; that corn is being carried
rom st. Louis to New Orleans for five
cents per bushel, and can be done
for less when the facilities now
cents by lake and canal from Chicago to New
York, as they averaged last year (the average
for eight years, 1870 II, was IA 45l0 cents;
that transfer charges in New Orleans are lower
than they are in New York; that ocean
freights ought to be little or any higher from
New Orleans tnan they are from New York,
because the cotton cargo "between decks can
and does pay comparatively higher rate
than the bulk grain in the hold; and that the
1876 (the latest year of which l have
been able to procure the statistics of. the
United States agricultural Department. out ola
corn crop of lS3 S27 500 bushels l,l95, 42l 800
bushels, and of wheat the western states alone
produced l67 $4,000 bushels, the Pacific states
and territories 3, 525 90 bushels, and the New
England, Middle and Southern states COM
bined only S3,60l5O0 bushels. Take all these
matters into consideration, gentlemen, and
you can then form some IDEA OF the Immense
be in the future of transportation in
this country. We must look for
low rates to prevail hereafter, the railroads
will be forced to concede them, even if they
have to dispense with the high priced talent
they find so necessary now, and also dispense
managers, agents, clerks, and other employees
i don I know that ought to have gone into
Il
ton" is one of the subjects intimately con-
nected with our organization, and the cheap
ness and the "whys and wherefores" thereof
are matters for our serious consideration.
INSURANCE.
At the last convention a committee was APP
pointed TO take the necessary steps to convert
the Fidelity insurance company of Chicago
into 1.-The Millers National Mutual fire insur-
very shorty afterwards- s.rhe MiIIerss own
OF Iowa has steadily progressed during the
year, and the Illinois millers have organized a
mutual company to take rises only in that
state, which, though organized for some time,
has been fortunate enough not to experience
a single loss. Your committee ON insurance
have, learn, prepared a lengthy and eXhaus-
tive report on this subject, ana VIII prove that
the rates we have been paying in the past
have been double what they Ought to be. My
only fear Il that the millers companies will
get careless after while, and by accepting
poor risks, make their losses average what the
board of underwriters charge us. Let us urge
them to continue The gid scrutiny they have
practed the past three years.
GRADING AND INSPECTION.
Although the chairman of your committee
on this subject made strenuous exertions the
past year TO secure meeting of the different
boards of flour inspectors ana flour committees
of the different mercantile bodies in cities
where flour is inspected, he was unsuccessful.
You can readily understand fwhy the inspec-
other seaboard and exporting cities. should
not care to foster a uniform system of grades,
reducing their fees and profits as 1t would nee
eSSarily do,and itrequlreS no deep reasoning 10
fathOm the motives of the flour brokers and
dealers in the large cities in their opposition
to grading the flour according to its merits;
but as the expense has to be paid by us, as we
desire to have competent judges stand be-
tween seller and buyer. and as the adoption of
a uniform system would do away largely with
the middle man, and thereby enhance our
profits (which from all the information can
get requires few figures 20 express the total of
last years milllng), and as the matter lays
N hands. Il hefOFR WI
adjourn that some plan viii be formed to car
ry out our wishes.
THE REPORT or YOUR COMMITTEE ON PATENTS
will necessarily eneross a large share of your
attention. AS all of YOU are aware, very short
ly after the meeting at Buffalo the American
middlings purifier company applied for an in
junction to prevent Messrs. j. A. Christian Il
Co., of Minneapolis, from using purifiers in
their mill, and these gentlemen, depending
on the justice of their position, and ignoring
the legal chicanery involved I'm the case, got
Emboldened by their success in Min
nespolis, they next attacked five
ST. Louis milling firms; but they,
Minnesota case, and with the assistance OF the
attorneys for the state associations of Missouri,
Wisconsin, New York and Minnesota, and OF
George Harding, Esq. of Philadelphia, the
attorney retained by the patent committee Of
the rational association, were successful in
refuse an injunction and order the cases TO be
tried on their merits. The eases against j. A.
Christian q Co, of Minneapolis, and of The
Atlantic milling company, of 1t. Louis, having
been selected as test cases, evidence before n
commissioner is being taken, and II is hoped
by the next session of the United States cir
cult court that decision will be rendered;
and without going into details for the reasons
therefor, or explaining the testimony taken
and to be taken, 1t is only neces airy, think,
10 state that our attorneys are unanimously OF
the opinion that such decision will be against
the validity of the Cochrana patents. When
the case is finally disposed of, each member of
II L. "A
copy of the history of the case, of the testi-
mony taken in the case, including the de-
clSion of the supreme court on our application
tn annul the decree In the Deener, ClsSell ana
Welch case on the ground OfcOllusIon between
the plaintiff and defendants, in which we
gained substantial victory, as although our
petition was denied, the court substantially
decided that there was ground for leaving the
decision to stand simply for that case, and that
it could not be used as precedent In making
future requests for injunctioDs. This put
sudden stop to the operations of the COchrane
ring, and although they have applied since for
an Injunction in New York, finding Mr.. Hard
ing ready and willing to proceed, they have
not pressed the matter and no action has been
had.
had, one at Springfield, Illinois, where our late
colleague, Martin Hickox, (whOse death leaves
a void in our ranks that will be hard 10 fill),
gained victory, and again in the United
States court at st. Louis where the patent was
declared Invalid.
Last winter a meeting was held in Chicago
others interested in the patent laws, which
was attended by part of your committee, and
a bill matured, which is now before congress-.
and which will undoubtedly be passed before
adjournment. While it does not give us the
full relief 1t ought TO, il is great improve
ment on the present law.
In the Dcnchfield case, while the Michigan
association, 1 believe, came to the conclusion
that the patent was valid one, and settled
with the patentees, some evidence has since
been developed in New York that throws
grave doubts on its validity, and our attorneys
are now engaged in probing IL to the bottom.
Till their opinion has been obtained should
advise our members to avoid compromising;
nothing can be lost by delay, and-as in the case
of Booth, where / i'm common with many others
submitted to being imposed upon in prefer
ence to becoming defendants in "A law suit
everything may be gained.
In past conventions il has been difficult to
get any lengthy report from the committee on
MILLING AND IMPROVED METHODS
although 1 have aimed TO select for members
of that committee gentlemen whose brands of
flour have gained enviable regulations
amongst consumers. Whether il is from
dislike to uncover processes which they deem
peculiarly their own, and from which they
expect TO make fortune before their less
fortunate brethren have found out their Sc
crpfS. whether from inmate mO0eSfy. dis