The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1901-07-26
HIGH PRICE FOR SACKS.
"aIia Wala Farmers Blame a
Ring for the Rise

~
Ring for the Rise.
A Walla Walla dispatch SAYS: A local
grammar has predicted that grain sacks
Will shortly rise to 9 cents in the local
market. His prediction Is Endorsed in
some quarters and denied in others.
Farmers of the valley are expressing
their dissatisfaction with the sack situa
ton this year. They laugh at all stories
OF shortage in the output and lay the
blame on the ring that they say is con-
trolling the market. Consequently
many of them are indignant because it
ls now costing them four cents to sack
every bushel of wheat. When the grain
Is sold the sack is gone forever.
There are three sources of local supply.
Inc state penitentiary produced this
year 100000. very few are i'm
ported from the east, and the big bal
ance come from Calcutta. These are
frequently procured from Portland and
Tacoma dealers, who are accused of cor
nering them at will
With the penitentiary sacks it is fret
come first served, provided the man
who comes is a Washington farmer.
bona tide. He files his application, the
number be wants and when they are to
be delivered. The warden has to Use
his Judgment to see that each man ia
provided for, lest a man ordering early
and wanting delivery late should come
out behind because the supply gave out
When applications are received covering
the probable output of the season the
books are closed This year that took
place in March. The iute mill closes in
October.
Sacks Are High
Not since 1898 have grain bags reached
the present price of 9 cents. Dealers
claim, after computation of the stocks
ON hand, on the ocean and manufact-
ured by coast concerns and penitenti-
aries, that there will be a large shortage
OF sacks, estimated by different dealers
at from 100000 to 100000 bags,
because of the large crop in prospect in
California, Oregon, Washington and
Idaho. A large part of the supply is
still on the ocean. One steamer is due
to arrive from Hong Kong at San
Francisco with large cargo of Calcut-
tas early next week, and the remainder
atiOat is due August 10. Should either
ship founder a great panic would result
in the sack trade and prices soar sky
ward.
Wheat Prices.
While the local market has not re
spOnded to the rise at Chicago and the
east, because there is not yet anything
doing, the season not being open, the
prospects for price seem brighter than
usual, and many predict at least As to
so cents for the coming crop. This
judgment is based upon the immense
damage done to wheat iu the Dakotas
and Minnesota and the ruin wrought to
the corn crop throughout the entire
corn belt.
At Chicago Monday wheat opened wild
with a general demand for September
from 69Bc to 7U&c, an advance of 1h2c to
Ike. Bullish news was in abundance,
but the main influence was reports of
heat and drought in the northwest
country, coupled with messages claim
ing damages had already reached
serious stage In the Dakotas and in
Minnesota many fields were said to have
been shriveled by the dry, scorching
winds. Realizing largely by the local
professional interest caused an early
drop to 69$@69%c. This selling move
ment was of considerable weight, but
buying orders accumulated fast, and
after few moments of depression the
market became wild again, and shortly
hlttT uOOu was Ol0 up W
1890. Realizing sales again exerted
great pressure, but the market held
stubbornly. and the close was excited
and strong. September SIC over Sat
urday at 724@72hc.
The bulk of the corn handled changed
hands at prices at least &c better than
SATURDAYS level There was a demand
so frantic that it would have seemed al
most reasonless had it not been that
traders we're again confronted with un-
limited reports OF withered crops
throughout the corn belt, and weather
forecast promising no relief. September
opened with a chorus of bids from SIC
to 59c Selling by local longs influenced
an early reaction to 5Sc, but here the
sweeping demand from the country, as
we'll as from local people, caught the
market, and September scarcely stopped
advancing until 59%c had been paid for
a small lot The close was strong, 4Sc
higher, at 59%@59hc. One OF the re-
ports which was influential said that a
railroad was carrying back to Kansas
100000 bushels of corn from Minnesota
1t was said there we're 6,OOO,O 900 bushels
more of the Kansas grown corn awaiting
reshipment to the drouth stricken dis
tricts.
The oats market advanced actively IL
sympathy with corn. 1t was a WILD
market ell day and an enormous busl
ness was transacted September closed