The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-05-10
MAY FORM A TRUST
oklahoma and Kansas MilIerS
Have Plan
10 BEAT COMBINES
An Oklahoma Miller Explains
the Pool.

A delegation of Oklahoma and southern
Kansas millers passed through Wichita
yesterday morning on their way to Kan
sas City, where a meeting of the milIers
of Oklahoma. Kansas and Missouri is
being held. The plan for forming a mill
ers' trust among the 200 millers in these
three states VIII be proposed and dis
cussed at this meeting.
For months leading millers of Kansas,
Missouri and Oklahoma have been dis
eussing plans which they hope viii result
in the output of western Touring mills
being placed on the markets of Europe On
an equitable basis with the output Of the
Minneapolis. Duluth and other north
western mills. For years the miiiers of
the west have had to meet competition
which was 50 powerful that the profit on
a barrel Of -four was reduced from y to
% cents because Of the superior shipping
facilities enjoyed by their rivals
The output Of the northwestern mills
was controlled and handled by the
United States FIGURING Min company.
which shipped -four in 100000 sack lots,
each sack weighing 240 pounds, and also
Unders5ld the western millers in their
own territory. The trust shipped, annu-
ally, 100000 barrels of -four to Europe.
the average weekly shipments being
100000 barrels
Until the trust went to pieces j. L.
Woods-Merril Of Kansas City was west
ern representative. A prominent Okla
homa miller said to a reporter for the
Eagle last night: LAS early as last May
I proposed remedy. I urged combine
and was anxious to be its representative.
/ placed the plan before the majority Of
the 200 or 500 millers in northwestern Mis-
souri,, Kansas and Oklahoma, and many
Of them indorsed ii, but could not at that
time see their way clear to form a pool
IT is the only way the northwestern riill-
ers can be fought.
'Under the present system western
miHers ship to Europe in small lots. I'm
der the plan proposed by me, shipments
Of 100000 sacks could be made and a saw
ing in freight rates Of from p to %
cents a barrel would result Shipments
could he made via New Orleans. Port Ar
thur and New York The trust is again
active. having been recently reorganized
VIII IL capital OF SzJO,VJ0,UU0, ana the MILL
ers OF the west must combine in self-de-
Tense
There are over 700 mills in northwest
ern Missouri. Kansas and Oklahoma, and
their combined output is 100000 barrels a
day.
"a pool" said a Kansas miller yester-
day would be a great thing for the
farmers as well as the millers The grain
territory Of the west IS increasing every
year and if profitable direct EXPORT /
trade could be de yeloped it would prove |
a bonanza to the tiilers Of the soil"
A dispa oh from Kansas City last night /
says: The Kansas Millers' association, |
comprising zoo Kansas, Kansas City and /
Oklahoma milers, have appointed an
agent who viii make it his business to /
sell for expert or to eastern trade the /
surplus product held by the millers rep /
reselte5 in the association. Their ira
but. heretofore to dispose of this sur
plus has caused a decentralization in /
prlces which they now seek TO overcome. /