The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-24
THOSE WICHITA ELEVATORS.

! ter or the erection or pfOposeu grain
elevators, is going back TO the bonus
business of years ago, and only that
the people of this city may cut new
set of eye-teeth in their second child
| hood.
The Journal is a little malicious, or
otherwise it has not read the elevator
| propositions Alright The particular
elevator enterprise, TO which the Jour-
nal refers is neither a bonus-affair nor
| vet, strictly speaking, a stock subscrip-
| ton scheme. The subscriptions are to
the stock of a storage elevator, that
is true, but the elevator must be erect
ed and fully equipped with machinery,
and free of debt or membranes of
any character, while the certificates of
subscription are redeemable by the ele-
vator company at their full face value
at any time. The twenty thousand
dollars of obligations against the $780,
| coo elevator are in the nature of the
| certified certificates of deposit of a
| bank. the holders of which must be in
terested in the bank to that degree that
they Will do business with it to the ex-
tent, at least of demanding payment for
| their certified checks The other ele-
vatOr enterprise, the Galveston Eleva-
tor company being the other one, is
not a bonus affair either, but a CO.
operative one, in which every grain
raiser who is convinced Of the pracic-
ability of Gulf expectation might prop
erly subscribe to and encourage.
There was a time in the days of dollar
wheat, when Wichita had seven steam
elevators, which, during the season of
grain movements, ran night and day.
For want Of storage capacity and be-
cause of Missouri river and Chicago
railway terminal interests, the grain
of this section was diverted away from
Wichita and the elevators fell into ruin,
and our board of trade inspection
ceased. Deep water having been Sc
cured at Galveston, the question which
confronts the grain producers of South
Kansas,-of all Kansas-is, shall our
grain be consigned or sent to the
worlds markets by way OF the Atlantic
seaboard, with the expense of 1900
mile rail-haul deducted from its price,
or to a port, provided by the general
government at an immense cost, which
is less than half the distance. The
farmers and grain buyers and dealers,
and everybody else interested, having
concluded that wisdom, interest and
greater profits are all in the direction
OF the shorter haul, their common sense
not only suggests but affirmS that a
grain market, with elevator capacity
and storage facilities, having the same
transportation concessions in the way
Of re-billing privileges, etc, enjoyed by
like markets, that there would be the
saving to the farmer, in the way of
enhancement: of the price on his grain,
to the amount which the Journal quotes
the Eagles figures as showing.
In plain terms the farmers of South
Kansas have concluded. and in which
conclusion they are seconded by the
Wichita Commercial club, that there is
no business sense in the railways haul
ing wheat consigned to Galveston, two
hundred and fifty miles north to the
Missouri river, and two hundred and
fifty miles back, making an additional
haul of from four to six hundred miles
on South Kansas wheat, only that it
may be inspected and go through a re-
billing process which leaves only a
ruinouS rate to the road which finally
consigns the grain at Gulf ports.
Corn and wheat are the principal
products of twenty-odd counties in
South Kansas, whose farmers raise of
which, annually, from sixty TO one
hundred millions of bushels. The price
or value Of their lands depends upon
the price they get for their grain, and
the price of the grain, TO considera BILE
per cent, in turn upon the rate of freight
that must be paid to reach the worlds
=
vator privileges and storage capacity.
with the transportation rights and con-
cesSions which these demands, at Wich-
ita as a central and easily accessible
point for these counties, Chicago and
all other grain centerS will be compell-
ed TO pay from 10 cents per bushel
more. as shown by the Eagles figures,
referred to by the journal. or other
wise they will never see the grain OF
South Kansas or oklahoma
AS for anything further the success
of the grain elevator enterprises at
Wichita in benefttDg the grain pro
ducerS of this section, can in no way
initiate against the interests of the
grain growers Of eastern and northern
Kansas; but will tend directly to their
benefit, as in just so far Will the Wich-
tia elevators and the Gulf route prove
a club in their hands. AS for the rail
ways, the people of this section OF the
state are not interested in the eastern
roads whose western termini are at
the Missouri river. We are only in
terested in the railroads which reach
this section, and all Of them have direct
Gulf outlets and connections; so that
if all the grain of South Kansas should
be concentrated N Wichita il would
be To the interest of the Kansas roads
in that they would not be compelled 10
divide up their tonnage with eastern
lines, as they now are compelled to do
when the grain once reaches the Mis-
souri, river.