St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-27
NO CARS FOR GRAIN
SAME CONDITION OF AFFAIRS AT
STEPHEN AS AT OTHER
POINTS,.
UNDERTAKING. BY ELEVATORS
ON THE CLAIM THAT ALL OF THE
HiGH-GRADE BINS ARE OVER
CROWDED.
UNDERTAKING. BY ELEVATORS
MERCHANTS ARE HEAVY LOSERS.
Farmers Selling Their Crops and
Making Their Purchases in North
Dakota Cities.
Special to the Globe.


STEPHEN, Jan. 26.-This was one
of the stations on the st. Vincent
branch where the market was blocked
and for weeks the farmers were I'm
able to secure cars for track shipment.
The elevators took advantage of the
situation and the result was the same
as at other points, either the farmer
had to accept the grade and price Of
fered by them or haul his wheat to the
other side of the Red river and sell
1t in North Dakota at a better price
than he could obtain in the local mar
ket. This was a great loss to the bust
ness men of the town, for the farmers
who hauled to Drayton, the nearest
point in Dakota, not only sold their
wheat there. but made their pur-
chases on the other side of the river
instead of from the merchants of Ste
phen, as they would have done had the
market here been open.
When the elevators claimed to have
all the bins for high grade wheat filed
and to be able only to take in the
low grades the grain was piled up
along the right Of way, in sacks, and
stored in every available place in
the town. The farmers waited for
cars to ship their wheat from track,
many of them refusing to sell to the
elevator companies at any price. Those
who were compelled to sell their grain
had no option, but must accept the
prices and grades offered by the agents
of the wheat barons. From all sources
1t is found that they lost by so doing
from three to eight cents a bushel.
After suffering for a long time the
farmers got together and appointed a
committee to take the matter I'D with
the railroad officials and try to get
cars for track shipment. Only two Of
the merchants, J. p. Lundin and T.
3. Mcmahon, Joined with the farmers
IN their efforts to secure their rights.
iThere was considerable complaint be-
cause the merchants did not come to
the assistance of the farmers, but as
soon as they had won their point the
StofekeeperS were ready to join with
them and push the good thing along.
line market here advanced in sympa-
thy with that at Warren as soon as the
blockade was raised at that point, and
the advance here was two cents a bush
ei Immediately upon the raising of the
siege at the county seat. When the
committee wrote to Supt jerks he
FURNISHED Is cars at once, and this re-
.IleVeu the market for the time The
track shipping was continued when
ever the farmers were able to get cars.
ana the result was that they saved as
hlgh as eight cents bushel by ship
ping thelr own grain. When the rush
was over the elevator companies re-
quced the margin between the local
ana terminal markets in the hope that
matters would be smoothed over and
they would get the business of the
FARMERS for the balance of the season
as well as in the future
! The merchants were heavy losers on
account of the closing up of the mar
ket at Stephen. Many of the farmers
who went across to Drayton bought
their goods there instead of at Stephen.
Prices were so low that the farmers
MAD but little money to spend
Frederick Mackenzie, a farmer living
three miles west Of Hallock. had the
same experience with the line elevators
mat nearly every other producer in this
section has had. He raised II 900
bushels Of wheat and early, during the
threshlng season, sold 1000 bushels to
IN Inc local line elevators and received
81 cents for it. In order to make a test
Mr. Mackenzie shipped one car, load
ing from track, to Minneapolis and the
same day delivered wheat of Identical
grade to the elevator. The result was
that he received 80 cents for the grain
sold to the line house and 81 cents NET
LOT the carload sold in Minneapolis
After that he shipped all his wheat d.
rect, and the price kept advancing until
he was able to realize 3915 cents a BUSH
el on his direct shipments. In the mean
Time the rush had ceased and the st.
Anthony & Dakota buyer offered him
80 cents, but Mr.. Mackenzie shipped it
TO the terminal market and made a
cent and q half on the last carload
marketed This transaction shows that
the line houses took advantage of the
rush during the threshing and increas-
ted their margin to five cents a bushel
but, when the flow Of wheat had less
lened, were willing to accept less than
,one-third of that toll. Mr.. ingalls, said
that, with possibly one exception, the
farmers who had shipped their wheat
direct had made money over the local
prices
Charles Mcmillan, chairman of the
board of county commissioners of Kilt
son county, resides in the town of Gran
Vllle, and his market is at Northcote.
He has had eleven years experience as
a wheat buyer, and during that period
and since has been engaged in farming
as well. For seven years he bought
wheat at Emerson for the OgiIvie Mill
ing company. of Winnipeg, and at Nor
IRIS and Manitou, Man., one year each
Tor the same company. At that time
II was the universal custom for the
farmers to fan their wheat, and dock
age was unknown. The company he
represented only wanted what thew
bought and he never had a single dis
pute with farmer. In 1882, 1883 and
1854 the farmers cleaned their wheat
and afterwards abandoned that Gus
tom, bringing it dirty from the thresh-
Ing machines
In Minnesota he bought in 1S90-91 for
fMcCullum &, Suffel, of Hallock, and the
season Of 1928 for William KeIso.
Both operated Independent houses and
9eft it entirely with Mr.. Mcmillan to
deal with the farmers, the result being
satisfactory alike to buyers and sellers.
s41e said the worst features of the mar
ket last fall were in the grading and in
Che spread of prices to more than dou-
ple the margin between grades at term
inais When the farmers shipped their
Wheat drect they made a profit over
Qocal market prices of as high as six
cents. He only knew of one instance
Mhere the farmer did not make money
fby direct shipping, and then he came
out even, although there was drop
in the markets, both local and terminal
between the times Of shipment and ar
rival at the terminal. His experience
was that the independent buyers treat
ed the farmers better than the line ele-
Pator companies. Mr. Mcmillan thought
She track shipping had been a great
Denent to the farmers, both directly and
and1rectiy He loaded a car at North
cote after the local buyers had offered
MIN rejected for 1t, and when he ex-
pressed MS discrimination to ship di-