The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-07
Proposed to Establish a Board
of Trade in Topeka.
Grain Shippers Well Satisfied
With. This Market.
THINGS IN THE WAY.
Millers Say That Business is
Too Much Scattered.
Would Be inexpensive to Found
Association Here.

Inc organization Oh a BOafd OF Trace
in Topeka has been suggested. and the
plan is now under consideration.
The suggestion for a Topeka Board of
Trades comes from many of the grain
shippers tributary to both Topeka and
Kansas City, which claim they are bet
ter satisfied with shipping to Topeka
than to Missouri river points The cur
rent issue of the Southwestern Grain
Journal contains the following text of a
letter sent from an Enid. Ok. shipper
to a Topeka man:
Dear Sir:-I am in receipt of your
letter of recent date enclosing account
of sale for two cars of milling wheat;
and to say, that ! am well pleased ex-
presses it mildly. Your weights were
perfect and returns prompt. Wish your
market could take care of low grade
wheat, would ship you lots of it. for
am pleased with results obtained In
your city,
Commenting on the letter the South
western Grain Journal says:
THE report seems to be in circula-
ton in some parts of the west. that
nothing except good milling wheat can
be sold in Topeka. This impression is
erroneous and misleading: because our
dealers are wide awake and buy any
and all kinds of grain. True, Topeka is
the best market in the entire west for
good milling wheat. which fact may be
credited to the push and enterprise OF
the Topeka millers. Topeka flour has
a world wide reputation because the
firms operating the mills. buy only the
best of wheat at liberal prices. settling
for same as indicated in the above let
ter. The same may be said OF the
dealers in Topeka. all of whom take
special pains in seeing to it, that the
shipper gets all his grain weighs. Ele-
vators in Topeka are operated by men
of the highest character, integrity and
| standing which fact accounts for the
weight certificates of the Central Kaw
L.
accepted everywhere without challenge.
| The Importance of Topeka as a grain
market can best be understood. when it
| is con 81 1ered. that the mills alone use
| .our 1r FIVE million bushels OF wheat
per ann'Irn and that for a number ct
years prior to 1902, the dealers handled
several n.'r IN bushels a year besides
+ IAN interview with the state grain
| inspector, too. will convince anyone
| that in the past the car lots of grain
received in Topeka have frequently out
| numbered the car lot receipts in Kan
! sas City, for days at a time 1t is true,
we lack one facility to make Topeka
| one of the important grain markets OF
! the country, and clearing house for a
large share of Kansas grain And that
| is a board of trade. daily sun mary
| of the grain transactions, receipts and
| shipments, output by mills, inspections,
| cash prices for grain, given to the Asso-
! ciated Press every afternoon, would
place the name of Topeka before the
| readers OF every daily paper OIL IOle III
| America. That is what Kansas City
does, and that is what dozens Of cities
| do not as large as Topeka The or
| ganization of board of trade does not
require large capital or extraordinary
! facilities. Less than five years ago
] Kansas City board Of trade member
! ships could be bought as low as sew
| enty-fix to one hundred dollars each;
dollars Let the grain men take up this
matter, organize a board of trade, and
| give to the world through press dis
patches the closing price of all kinds of
| grain on the Topeka board of trade:
an5 If nothing else is accomplished 1t
will advertise Topeka, and inform ship
| pers that there Is a market in Topeka
for all kinds of grain.
A reporter for the State Journal vis-
tied the millers and some of the grain
dealers in North Topeka today. Armin
| Fassler of the Inter-Ocean mills ex-
pressed the sentin ent of the other mill
! THE matter is one which has but Just
arisen, and we have had hardly suffi-
| cient tiE1e to give it due consideration
1 hardly know what the advantages
| would be or whether we are in a posi-
ton to gain benefit from such an in
sritutson. 1 would say that there is one
| drawback, Topeka Is a small town for
an institution of that kind.
| Ut is true" he continued. chat It
would be of advantage to Topeka from
the point of advertising. 1t would give
our city a standing in the milling and
grain world that it has not at this
time. although it is well known and is
an absolute fact that the millers and
dealers in Topeka have the reputation
of beng honest and fair in all trans
actions, and the shippers have become
assured that they will not be given
short weights, etc, at Topeka, and thai
they will get all that is due them"
| C. w. Hoyt, a grain dealer of North
Topeka, said: There is one drawback
to such a plan, and that is the fact thai
the people who would support such q
board of trade are too widely scattered
in Topeka. I can see how it would
prove advantageous to the city provided
the board of trade office could be cen
trally located and be easily accessible
to all the members"
Still Playing Chess.