Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-09

The members of the Farmers Board of |
Trade were 90 slow in coming together, yester-
day morning, that their meeting began an !
hour after tbs hour set in adjournment the
day before.
Msssrs. E. Locke, of Willmar, and F. Nj.
Thornton, Of Benson, on behalf
of elevator men along the st.
Paul & Manitoba line, appeared
before the board to complain as to the sys-
ten governing their wheat trade and as to
the inspection of wheat in Minneapolis and
| st. Paul, and Mr.. Thornton presented their
views at length, substantially as follows:
He asserted that the independent elevators
are treated unjustly in the
MATTER OF INSPECTION
and in the system of buying the wheat along
their railway. About seven years ago
the-e was q contract with Commodore
Davidson which gave him exclusive
control of the elevator business.
This was partly broken up by the erection
of independent elevators, so-called, in dis
! tinction from the monopoly elevators Mr..
Locke at Willnar, and at Benson inaugu-
rated the Independent elevator system. By
receiving the wheat in store and giving farm
ers tickets, we stopped the combination of
buyers to cut down prices on particular
| days. We antagonized the wheat buying in
| terest at Minneapolis, as far as We took the
control OF prices out OF their hands. Farm
ers could borrow money on our tickets and
could hold or sell their wheat as they pleas
| to the Independent elevators of the miliers
of Minneapolis, as represented by the Mil
lers' Association.
One point is the system of inspection. We
receive wheat and give fair inspection.
The inspector at Minneapolis used the Stacy
filler for time, and then dropped it. He now
uses the old two-quart kettle, and we are as
it were, between the two stones
farmers on one side and the nlillers on the
other. They claim to have an independent
inspector and an Independent board of arbi-
tration in Minneapolis. The claim is almost
farce. They are appointed by the board of
trade of Minneapolis, to which the miliers
belong and which they can control. The
inspector sits in the Office OF the Millers'
association. Mr.. Locke said to him: ''You
are necessarily prejudiced in favor of these
men who employ you. Ifyou have doubt
ful grade to which side would you throw
your doubt ? TO the association of course.
This is Unjust: In case of doubt you
should give equally to both Sides"
We do not know how far you can go
towards establishing impartial inspection.
The inspection Of Minneapolis and St. Paul
is believed to be in the interest of the buyers.
It is not uniform. In Minneapolis, when
prices were cheap the grading was fair, but
, when the prices went up and
MILLING MARGINS BECAME LESS,
their grades went back on us about one
grade, Leaving our houses full of wheat
bought on their first grading. If the MilIers'
association have the power to tighten the
J grades every time their margins tighten thsn
we must go back on the farmers.
Give the country elevators some protec-
. ton in shipping to the Minneapolis and St
Paul markets, by making the inspection fair
and uniform. 1t is not always unjust. But
where the man inspecting is under control
! of the one interest there will always be sus-
picion. If the inspection is on q fair basis
, the grade of to-day will be the grade here
. after. That would be fair. Our elevators
appointed a delegation to meet the millers
They declared their inspection was according
4 to law and the established custom and they
q would not make any change. So far as oul
e country is concerned, st. Paul ane
!. Minneapolis being regulated would
D regulate all the rest. 1t would
g not be necessary to have inspectors all ovel
0 the State.
In answer to questions from members O.
the board MIR. Thornton continued a.
a follows:
g There is no practical difference between
g tbs testers if care fully and honestly handled
/. But with the old it is easier to grade back
: With the Stacy filler it is difficult I thinl
y the Stacy filler is a considerable protection
This Minneapolis inspector, sitting in th
0 Office of the Millers' association, may hear i
said that an independent elevator man
Thornton for instance, is bulling the mar
ket. His mind would be impressed by whai
q he heard and in all likelihood his judgment
a would be unfavorable to me, so that when
;. nv wheat came to market ne would inspec
: it accordingly.
kernels may effect the grading of wheat that
weighs well. But as rule not. I sen
. wheat to
THE ST. PAUL MARKET
: the past season which was graded bacl
n from No. to 2. I wrote to learn the reason
z The reply said that the inspector would no
Q have passed it as No. if it had weighed six
8 ty pounds to the bushel. wrote to inquire
= why, but offended his mightiness and Wal
i not answered. I did not ship any more
wheat to ST. Paul The Inspector here ii
t controlled by the wheat buyers. The gener
J, al character is what controls the grade o.
: wheat. 1t was No. / wheat according to OIL
:. experience.
The wheat must have weight and also have
: other good qualities. The weight is indis
It pensable.
= 1t really amounts to conspiracy on the
b part of the men who control our markets
! We have a free elevator union on
our line. We had proposed to the Millers
J. association that they should appoint two mer
It and we two men, and the four ff5h-tht
s five to appoint an inspector subject to them
!. that is, an independent inspector
y also a board of arbitration for appeals
This proposal was rejected without hesita
t ton. We met, then, and came to the con
9 clusion that the only way to protect our
selves and the farmers 1--WE are mostly il
9 other business also and it is necessary thai
: we should favor the farmers) was to build ar
], elevator in Minneapolis where our wheat
4 could be stored subject to sale by sample
We selected the ground by our COMMITTEES
t and proceeded to make contracts, but were
j ! advised it was necessary to get permission
o of the city council for railroad connection,
and also under the fire ordinance. We had
g found that Minneapolis is
NOT FREE WHEAT MARKET.
Farmers cannot store their wheat but are
compelled to take the price of the day it is
0 delivered or haul it home. We thought to
:. create free wheat market by receiving farm
8 ers' grain in Store. The Millers' association
t brought out its forces and fought us in the