St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-24


the secretary of the chamber of commerce
of Minneapolis. Some people say he is
gruff and short in his manners. but have
always found. on applying to him for tig-
ures or information for the GLOBE, that he
was atfable and willing, and once into the
subject OF wheat or receipts and shipments
he talked eagerly and pleasilgly and made
II pleasure to call on him. Secretary Stur-
tevant has certain "reminiscences OF steam
boating in his earlier days. but he never in
hiets them on anybody but senate commit
tees or Interstate commerce or other highly
interesting organizations. Just at this
time he is rather too busy to talk TO any
body. but he can always be prevailed upon
to look up and smile when the subject of
Minneapolis wheat receipts for 1885 is men,
toned. The particular work claiming his
attention now is his
ANNUAL REPORT,
which will be issued this year three months
sooner than last which is the result of a
new system of records, and 1t was this Sys-
TEN that led my steps 10 his office yester-
day. The annual report of the chamber of
commerce is comprehensive document and
a valuable one. AS boomer 10 the city it
has no equal, from the fact that it
deals sternly with indisputable figures
which speak for themselves and
cannot be padded. Every bushel of wheat
corn, rye. oats and barley that passes
through Minneapolis or is here milled is
duly recorded and the report sets forth how
il came and what it cost. The price brought
every day in the year by all the grains is
fully shown and with the daily receipts and
shipments, forms large part of the volume.
The manufacture of flour comes next in
importance and perhaps the only entirely
accurate statement of the receipts manu-
facture, shipment and export of the great
staple will be found in this report. The re-
pOTters of the daily papers in compiling their
annual reviews have learned the difficulty
of getting the exact figures of flour manu-
features and well understand and appreci-
ate the statement that Secretary Sturtevant
is the only man IN the city who knows the
output of the individual mills for each year.
The returns, with the exports, are made TO
him. and he carefully destroys the indlvd-
ual reports after figuring the aggregates.
The report will show the total export and
the foreign countries to which the -four
went, and the element of uncer-
tainty enters into any previous state
ments that have been or may be made.
Further than this, the report will
show the tonnage OF each of the railroads.
in the shape OF every pound of goods. eas-
sihed. received by or shipped from Mime
apolis. 1t will also show the elevator bust
ness, inspection reports, general railway
business, banking and general commercial
status of the city. besides comparing many
of these with the returns from other lead
ing cities by medium of an exchange OF
such statistics.
KEEPING THE RECORDS
from which the aggregate figures are OBJ
tanned is a matter of considerable interest
from the fact that absolute system and re-
liability must be secured, for in their strict
accuracy the value of the figures depends.
Transactions in the chamber are easily OBJ
tanned and recorded and from the figures
the diagrams are drawn, showing the iuc-
tuatiOnS of prices in any of the cereals. The
railroads detail salaried clerks to each day
report the receipts and shipments, classify
ing them with scrupulOuS eXactneSS. The
result shows the exact tonnage of Minneap-
oils arranged by months or weeks. or by
railroads. An interesting feature of the
records is the weekly report of the wheat
in sight. Elevators aud railroads make
their return every Monday and the aggre-
gate is given by Secretary Sturteyant TO the
Associated Press and telegraphed through
out the country, to be included in the WIS.,
Idle supply statement 1t is little singular
that not unlil three months ago was the
wheat in sight at Minneapolis included In
the statement of the New York produce ex-
change, though Minneapolis is the largest
primary as well as the largest actual wheat
depot in America. The annual report will
dwell on this fact. as a matter of course.
Nearly all of the other figures, not CON-
piled directly in the secretary's Office. are
furnished from headquarters and are there
fore reliable. The railroads furnish their
mileage and general business and copy of
their latest maps. Other cities send in
their tale of commercial interest and the
whole makes volume of the greatest i'm
portanee. BY preparing each month as it
passed, Secretary Sturtevant will be en-
abled 10 turn out his report about the mid
die of next month, instead of in May, as
usual.