Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-25
LOOK OUT FOR BREAKERS.
Competition IS the Life Of Trade. l
dollar Sared IS q dollar made.

AS DreaQ is the stan or lie lG Ii
therefore staple in every household.
People can live without sugar, tea.
coffee, or groceries of any kind, and
even without meat, but it is an impos.
sibility to dispense with bread 1t is
and has been for all time the chief
article Of diet for man. It then be-
comes very important for man, and
especially the poor man to consider the
cost Of that staple, that chief article OF
diet, which it becomes his duty to place
upon the family board.
Now if we should announce that
bread is made from -four and that the
cost of bread is regulated by the cost
of flour; that thecost of -four has been
regulated for about ten years by a
combination of the merchants of
Grand Rapids and Centralis, and a
FIGURING mill in the latter city. We
should expect the public to give US
credit for getting about as near the
truth as it is possible to get in the
18th century. If we should also an
nounce that the mill referred to has sold
flour and all milling products to the
merchants referred to at high prices, !;
prices considerably above what the
same goods were sold for by the same
mill to the outside trade and in many
cas- IS delivered to distant points, and
that the merchants after paying such
high prices, still added high profit
from 80 to IS cents per bbl on -four,
and proportionate profit on the other
products, We should also expect to
have the credit of getting very near
the truth. But it is not cur purpose
to make any announcements upon the
subject The people of Grand Rapids
and Centralia and of Wood Co., so far
as they have been supplied by these
markets, know perfectly we'll what
prices they have been compelled to pay
the past ten years, and into whose
pockets these profits have gone. 1t is
our purpose however to announce to
the public that the Grand Rapids
FIGURING Mill is once more in full
operation. That it has been over haul,
ed, repaired, and we may properly say,
almost entirely rebuilt, with large
amount Of new machinery added
That it is now the equal Of any
mill in the state. That we propose to
manufacture and put upon the market
all kinds of milling products, and es-
pecially as fine grade of -four, as can
be made anywhere in the u S That
our -four and products will be sold at
dead Loa0 prices That no combina.
tt on or monopoly will control our mill OF
! business. We commenced business and
started our mill some three years ago
but owing to the fierce, the bitter oppo.
sition manifested at that time, we were
compelled to suspend operations after
a few months. But during this time
we very materially LOWERED the
prices of all milling products, and now
we propose to tower them still moors
We propose to manufacture as good
goods as auy mill in the state or Z. S
and put them on the market at the
toeoest laUing prices. We propose to
give the farmer. the laborer and the
poor man an equal chance with every
body else. We will give you fine goods,
fell freight, Ioa0 prices, and treat ali
alike. How long we shall be able to
do this, depends altogether upon you,
altogether upon the trade and patron
age we get.
We shall not be able to run our mill
and business, unless we can sell our
goods.
If we sell you better article of
flour than you have been accustomed
to get, and at price which is seventy
five cents per bbl lower than you have
been paying for many years past, will
you buy it? If you don't bny it but
continue your trade in the old channels
in short patronize the combination,
don't you know it will freeze us out
and COMPEL us to shut down and stop
business, the same as two years ago
and that prices will go back to the old
figure.
Now! we wish to ask the public
what is to be done in the premises?
Is not your interest and ours alike in
this matter? You ocont loU praces
We 'oant trade. We can give you the
one, you can give US the other.
Let US then join hands and enter
into treaty offensive and defensive,
which must and will surely serve our
common interest. VAL yOu do 1t?
We await developments. We await
an answer.
GRAND RAPIDS FIGURING Mill Co.