Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-10

ST. LOUIS HARD HIT.
Kansas City Captures Its Grain
Trade, Hence This
Howl.

The st. Louis Republic. in speaking OF
the loss of the grain trade to thai city
Since July a single exporting house In
wheat to Europe. OF this only 1900 BUSH
whole of the immense balance having been
shipped out by way of Kansas CITY.
Seven exporting firms, all Of which are
with st. Louis, and all that concerns its
the grain tina has passed through KAN
sas City, scarcely a bushel of which has
come through St. Louis, simply because
this city has practically no outlet 10 ihe
seaboard.
/ aggregate about 20, 900, 600 bushels to date.
while there have been less than 5,OOo,GO
bushels received here. and the bulk OF
that because of the heavy trading in No.
2 red winter wheat for December delivery
In this market.
These are a few of the facts that are
perative necessity of establishing a line of
steel barges to run on the Mississippi river
between this city and the Gulf of Mexico:
grain business Of the Kaw metropolis has
been taken away from st. Louis, and un-
less some means is devised of carrying
er than it can be carried from points west
of here. this city will in time lose the
whole of this immense interest.
'One of the largest exporting frmS OF
this city has already removed its offices
from here to Kansas City. in order to IA
cilitate the handling of its business, and
another will remove there within the next
few weeks if something. is not done to
bring the trade to st. Louis. 1t has proven
impossible to handle the business at such
long range. and if the business cannot be
brought here, the business men will have
1.-The loss of the grain business of this
city would mean probably the greatest loss
perience has shown that where the pro-
ducers sell their products they purchase
their manufactured supplies, and within
a very short time the wholesale interests
would be bound to suffer. This in turn
would turtail banking interests. and final
ly its ramitications would extend to al
most every branch of business and to the
owners of real estate. On the other hand
an increase in the size of this market
would benefit almost every other line Of
business.
THE most progressive business men of
the city have been figuring for eighteen
months on the solution of how to stop
the grain business from leaving here. Their
conclusion was given to a reporter of the
Republic yesterdays afternoon at the ter
mination of an informal conference. we
for 3 cents a hundred If we establish the
barge line said the spokesman of the
party. If we do that we can attract all
of the grain that is now going via Kan
weston to this market. If We don't we will
lose our trade.
1T has been demonstrated that it is
possible to build barges that will carry
1900 bushels with a draft of only three
feet. These barges will only draw thirteen
inches of water when empty. They can
be operated in any stage of the river. and
when we have six or eight feet of water
We will be able to load 10000 and $4,000
bushels on them. In that case we will be
able to carry the freight at 2Ia cents a
hundred and still make earnings on the
capital invested.
1T must be understood that this is a
public spirited movement 1t is not con-
fined to the grain trade alone. but to every
class of business done in st. Louis. If the
proposed barge line never carries a pound
of freight the mere feasibility of it and
the fact that it is ready and able to carry
it at a low rate will enable US to regulate
to New York. to Boston. and in fact to
any place where the river can be brought
into competition with the rail lines in any
way, whatever"