Omaha daily bee., 1898-11-29
HITS Us In ANOTHER PLACE
Linssed Oil Works Are Handicapped BY the
Lack Of Elevators.
RAILROADS MAKE THEM NO CONCESSIONS
II NAH Were Permitted to Become
. Grain Center There Would De
an Increase in the
OIL Business.

ApS q q IL view 1OTh Slly
yesterday looking to reorganization Of the
National Linseed Oil company and the posi-.
Bile incorporation Into the company OF the
independent concerns now doing business
IN the country. While the conference is pos
sessed Of a large amount OF interest from a
financial standpoint, 1t will not affect the
Woodman Linseed OIL company OF this city.
This company leased its plant from
the national company for a period
Of years and Is as Independent In its opera
lions as II It owned the plant outright. That
Is why the officials OF the local company
know but little concerning the scope and
purposes OF the conference today.
Mr.. John w. Hirst, the president and
manager Of the Woodman company. said
the management Of the national company had
not been entirely satisfactory to
the stockholders and the attempt
at reorganization necessarily fol-
lowed. He also thought 1t would be a safe
guess to make that the effort to get the
independent companies into the national Or
ganization would fall.
Speaking Of his own company. Mr.. Hrs,
said: THE little connection this company
has with the national organization has been
q handicap rather than a beneht to US. We
are continually being associated with the ma
tional company. whereas our operations are
distinct. We have leased the plant at q
cash rental, and We pay the rent. We
operate 1t as our own, and on such lines
as seem best to us without any outside
interference. We have one OF the larges,
plants In the country, with as great g
capacity as any other mill, but the amount
Of our product is not 30 large as others
because our facilities are not so great
This lack OF facilities is due entirely t.
the railroads, and bring up the question
Of elevators again.
Minneapolis Has an Edge.
1.-The mills at Minneapolis are
capable Of doing more business than
we do here because they have
elevators there where the grain can b.
stored pending sale. Here in Omaha VI
must buy the flaxseed as 1t passes through
the city or do without it. We have oul
elevators for storing as much seed as w
feel like tying our mohey up in, but outside
Of them there is not a bin or a room
where we could store a bushel Of seed II i
were offered to us. Mills in other citie!
only have so much Of their capital invested
In seed as Is required for Immediate use
, while we are compelled to tie up our capita
for months ahead.
''There were about 10000 acres Of fla,
raised in this state last year. from which
the product amounted to about $50, 00
bushels. We get practically all Of this. be
cause the market here Is better than else
where, but the entire product would last u
but eighty days. Our other supplies are Sc
cured from Minnesota and South Dakota
Here Is a letter on my desk now from
farmer out in Nebraska who has some see
he wishes to ship us. We cannot take 1
now for we have no place to store 1,
have written him to hold It unit
December 1, but I doubt II he will do 1t
He will ship 1t through here to Chicago be
cause the railroads will make no concss
sions to this city In the way Of making !
a great center.
II consider this the greatest question con
fronting Omaha today. To my notion tn
Commercial club should drop every other en-
terprise 1t has under way and give it's en-
tire attention to this one matter. Let tina
be secured and other enterprises will com
as as a matter Of course. Seventy-fve pc
cent Of the business in all the towns in tn
territory adjacent to Omaha 10 made up Q
dealings in live stock and grain, and wit
no concessions to this city by the railroad
on these commodities the city can neve
expect to make any advance. That Is VIII
Kansas City Is forging ahead Of Omaha, an
1t will always continue to be the case unit
the business men Of this city by some mean
force the roads to modify their treatment"