The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1895-10-05
M1LLERs' COMBINE B i
SCHEME TO REGULATE THE. OUT
PUT OF FLOUR.
1t Is Sought to Fix Rules Whereby
Minimum Prices VIII lie SET and
Adhered to and the Market saved
From Overwhelming.

'HOAA
Buffalo. n. y, Oct. 1.-The efforts
being made.by. the leading millers OF
the country and the chief members
of the national millers' association to
bring. about an arrangement which
will provide Il set of rules regulating
the output Of flour Oh the market ana
fixing il minimum price for -four ap-
pear to be on the point of reaching
IL successful issue. The details of the
1Lal have been worked out and made
known to the principal m;llers in the
country. and the ~'agrcetient Of the
large millers' Of winter and spring
.Whcat,1o: abide by the regulations; or
in 'dtlnA: words. to enter'the combina-
ton. is all that is now lacking.
Aside from the Northwest Buffalo
holds the key to the situation. and Ns-
orous efforts have. it is said. been
made. to bring the Buffalo :millcrs into
The movement. Che vl.adinG mlllers or
this city have been interviewed n
their statements will be published in
tomorrow mornings papers. From
these it would appear that millers OF
spring wheat have all along been very
ANXIOUS for the contamination OF the
combination. but that the winter
wheat millers have, until very recent
ly, held aloof. To fully understand
the movement it may be said that two
months ago at a meeting of leaders or
the national millers' association in
Minneapolis, it was suggested that a
plan be formulated whereby the brok-
ers and other outsiders could not toy
with the flour market as they saw tit
and force the millers to dance to their
music. but by which the millers them
selves could control the market to an
extent sufficient to protect themselves.
if nothing more. The men at this
meeting werc. principally spring wheat
millers. Tie spring wheat millers
produced about two-thirds of the -four
Of the country. Their action was
rendered doubly necessary by the fact
that the markets are at present flood
ed by an over-production OF about H.
100000 barrels of flour. After two
weeks more %delibcration a plan was
mient. ..,Ehis plan proposed to form a
combination of millers and fix the
minimum price. at which the output of
the mills will be sold. No miller may
go under this price. ALL. may sell
above it. To solve the ovefsproduction
problem it was decided to have all
mills reduce their production Is per
cent, which would make Il difference
of almost 100000 barrels in a year.
II the market should pick up at any
time the per cent of the reduction in
production would be proportionately
reduced. All mills failing to reduce
their products when notified, shall,
according to the agreement pay to the
association or combine 10 cents for
every barrel of. -four iii excess of the
agreed rate. OF. production: The agree
ment is to hold for Il .year;;'and to be
renewed t%hereaftssr YEARLY if satisfac-
The opposition of the. winter wheat
millers to entering the combination
lay in the fact that they would con-
stitute Il considerable minority, hav-
ing only one-third representation. The
orders reducing or increasing fhe"out-
put of flour from time to time would
be issued by a committee of. which
the spring millers. would have. two
thirds voice. And in agreeing to abide
by the decision and directions:of that
committee the winter wheat :millers
would be placing themselves at. the.
mercy of the spring wheat millers, for
during the season of the winter mill
ers' busy days the spring millers could
better afford than at any other time
slow down. Matters thus looked
blue for the plan until last week when
understanding gained solid ground
that the winter millers would arrange
All association Of their own with pre-
cisely similar regulations to those pro-
pesed.by the spring millers and would
act h%onorably with the spring millers,
although without any binding agree
ment tying. themselves up. This
cleared the atmosphere and now the
plan is waiting only for all the spring
millers and all the winter millers to
get into their respective folds and p
range to act together tremendously.