The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-03
kaW Valley Potato Growers
Form a Combine.
Tired of Being Robbed by Com
mission Men.
REPRESENT 5000 CARS
And Men Who Farm Over
$4,000 Acres.
Drafting a Constitution For
the Association.

Kansas City, Feb. 3-The potato
growers of the Kaw valley between
Kansas City and Lawrence, Kan, have
| under way the formation of an associa-
ton designed to include all the growers
of that vegetable in that district.
A meeting of the growers was held
at Bonner Springs, Kan, on January
%, at which every shipping point on
the Santa Fe and Union Pacific roads
between Lawrence and this city had a
representative, sent by the potato
growers of his district. 1t was agreed
by the ninety men who attended the
meeting that it was necessary for mu-
tual protection against dishonest COM
mission men to form an association.
To that end a committee was named to
! draft a set of bylaws and a constitu-
ton to govern such an organization
and to report back to the mass meet
ing of growers which will be held at
Bonner Springs on Saturday, Feb
ruary 4.
The committee met Tuesday in the
Produce Exchange rooms, Sis Main
street, and continued it's labors yester-
day. j. Easterwood of Morris, Kan,
was chairman of the committee. The
other members of it are: j. G. Graves
Edwardsville, Kan; H. w. Rhea, Lor-
ing: G. s. Kindred, Lenape. E. Bales,
Linwood; A. G. Kenyon, Fall Leaf; A
| Pipes, Eudora; Carl Speaks. Weaver;
James Graves, Cedar Junction; Lee
Frisby, Frisby; Charles Mann, Wilder
REPRESENT HUNDREDS OF
GROWERS.
The men represent several hundred
potato growers, who farm over Is, 900
acres of land and produce yearly 5000
cars, or 100000 bushels of potatoes. The
potatoes grown in the kaw valley are
sold all over the United States, and the
Kaw valley has become famous within
the last eight years as the greatest po-
tato producing section of the United
States. 1t is doubtful in fact, if there
is another spot on earth from which so
many potatoes are dug annually. The
growers formed an organizat ton a few
years ago, but failed to accomplish
much thereby. They propose to call the
new organization the Kaw Valley Po-
tato Growers association, and to have
every grower who produces potatoes on
anything like large scale become
member
In past years the potato men in the
Kaw valley have experienced all sorts
of losses through dishonest commission
men to whom they have consigned their
goods. Not only the commission men of
Chicago and northern cities, but the
commission men of this city, have
ffeeced the hard working potato men out
of their profits in past years. 1t is now
proposed to put a stop to the practice
by banding the producers together and
refusing to consign goods in the future
If the association is formed, people de-
string to handle the potatoes of the Kaw
valley will be obliged to buy them on
the track directly of the grower.
day night:
''It must not be understood that our
purpose is to form a trust to control the
prices of potatoes. We aim at nothing
of the sort. The association will be to
further the interests of potato growers
and to shield them from the dishonest
practices of commission men. We will
endeavor to discourage the practice of
consigning car lots, and to induce the
buyers who wish to handle our product
to come to us and pay cash. This prac-
tice of cOnSigning to commission men is
Just like sending one of them a 500 bill
and telling him to change it and keep
what he wants. We have been robbed
long enough; we want to put an end to
it now.
TRICKS OF COMMISSION MEN.
zone trick of the commission men is
to refuse our goods when we send bill
of lading to draft. We are in Kansas
they are in Chicago or some other dis
tant place, SO what can we do? Simply
turn the goods over to some other
equally dishonest firm and it sells them
the information that commissions, dray-
age, freight and a multitude of drains
consumed all the money it could realize
on the stock.
1.-The Kansas City men are Just as
bad, and many have tricks about their
dealings. Their great cry is that the
market was bad. We have to take their
word for it when We consign to them. -
Fl. w. Rhea of Loring said: "Of
course, there are some honest commits
sion men, but they are so few and far
bet ween that we can't hunt them I'D
Then, in looking for them, we are
obliged to try many dishonest ones and
by the time we reach the honest ones
we have nothing but experience Left