The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-04-11


business of the elevator is 100 900
bushels a ar!-and that would be
81 900 for taxes! Probably Mr.. p.
can explain this in some way.
| Fuel and insurance make another
cent a bushel! But at 100000
bushels this makes 81 900 for this
item. Now it is unnecessary to make
any comments upon this item. We
trust no one will suppose that Mr..
Pillsbury's word is discredited-the
supposition is that there has been a
failure of the crop around Crook
ston, or that the elevator is run on a
high-pressure principle-the buyer
gets high-game and Mr.. p. gets the
low-jack.
1t may be said in extenuation of
the above that at other places where
we handled more wheat it costs less.
That is true, but there are fully
forty places where we have elevators
or warehouses where there has been
so little wheat raised, that 10 cts.
per bushel would not cover the ex-
pense of handling the wheat if we
kept open, and SO they have been
open only for short time, or not at
ALL,
but as you do not keep open you
do not have the expense!
: But when the doctors have very
healthy season they can't levy on
the well people to make up their cent
per cent. Ten hundred Thousand
farmers, the past year, did not get
one-half OF one per cent on the in
vestment. But they can't make the
buyer of their produce fork over a
''fair profit" to keep them afoat!
You should be compelled to keep
them open at a loss-or else forfeit
the contract. Not that we wish Mr.
Pillsbury i'll, but that he has made
millions out of his grain and -four
deals, and has a clear sense of
Justice following the assumption of
certain duties and privileges, granted
by his contracts. No other business
closes and opens as the business goes
: up or down.
Now at all of these places where
we have been compelled to close for
want of business, we have to pay
taxes, insurance and repairs, to say
nothing of interest on the invest
ment.
Again, it may be stated there is no
need of elevators and they render no
service. In answer to this would say,
, this may be true to some extent in
the case of large farmers who live
near the railroad and get cars when
and where they please; but elevators
are Indispensable to the smaller
farmer and to the larger ones when
cars are scarce, as always is the case
when the farmers movement OF
wheat is heavy.
If the railroads were able to furnish
the farmers all the cars they wanted
just when they wanted them, and
7 there were no country elevators in
which to hold back the surplus
wheat, the receipts at terminal
/ points during the heavy movement
, would be SO immense and so far be-
yond the actual demand for con-
, sumption, that prices would be much
> more depressed than they have been
, under the present system.
, Much to our dislike, we have to
, appear to instruct a gentleman in
his own profession here. The "visi-
, BILE wheat '-elevatorage-is what
downs and gluts the market. II
t wheat were shipped, as it is stored
: now-same rapidity-the market
would drop for two or three days,
! shipments cease, and up it would go,
: crying for wheat. And within 30
days the market would unquestion-
: ably show a misunderstanding
that it never shows now. Do not
!, think we link you, Mr.. p, with the
Board of Trade gambler or Short
seller. But the ShOrt-seller holds the
. market! Demand now has nothing
= to do-when the sale is made first
:. and purchase ordered at the elevator
to fit the sale! The "visible" supply
= which goes with elevatorage is a
wonderfully unfortunate affair.
! You state that the freight from
\ Crookston to Duluth by fair rates is
8 cts. per bushel The actual rate is
e 10Y cts. and certainly the local buyer
i is not to blame for this. In addition
e to this, the freight has to be paid on
+ the dockage or dirt. You make nc
allowance for loss of weight by ship.