The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-29
SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
No FLOUR TRUST

NO fLOUk IRUSI
The NIinnea polls journal a great
deal to say about the trusts that have
their headquarters In New Jersey, out
has any one heard it so much as peep
about the Minneapolis -four trust?-War-
rem Register
What is the flour trust? Did you ever
see it or see AMY evidence Of Its exist
ence? Or do YOU infer that there must
be such a trust from the fact that the
cash sales of wheat in Minneapolis, the
wheat bought by. the millers, are at
prices 2 or cents higher than the mar
ket speculative eprice?-Minneapolis Jour
nal. 80 "1|- @5- ~ r..
On the market page of the same issue
Of The Journal that contained the fore
going we find the following quotations:
Minneapolis first patents, $500 to 81.
New York, Minnesota patents, $685.
to 81.
The schedule freight on flour from Min
neapolis to New York Is 21k cents hum
dred pounds, or 81 cents a barrel
Under ordinary conditions, the price OF
q product at terminal markets Is the
price at point yof production, plus the
cost Of transportation. If, therefore, the
New York market makes the price, the
price Of Minnesota patents, here, under
normal conditions, would be about 50. 20
to 1888. =
price Of flour is the same to consumers
living In the shadow of the mills in Min
lneapolis that 1t is to those 1000 miles
away, If there be no understanding, COM
,bination or other arrangement among the
makers Of flour to make the home price
that Of the terminal market? If 1t Is not
"a trust, it works nightly like one-St.
Paul Dispatch.
In the first place, the price OF flour Is
not the same to consumers in the shadow
Of the mills Of Minneapolis as it is 1000
miles away Minneapolis first patents at
$3.50 to 81 In Minneapolis Is a very diff
ferent proposition from Minnesota pat
ents at 1885 to 81 in New York, because
Minnesota patents does not mean first
patents at all. The quotation on Min
nesota patents In the Associated Press re-
port from New York is simply an aver
age of cash sales on all northwestern
-four, and reported simply to indicate the
average price and the tendency of the
market. Minnesota patents are not nee
essarily Minneapolis hours. They may
come from any part of the northwestern
spring wheat district, and represent the
average flour of al lgrades. Minneapolis
first patents usually range in New York
~
nesota patents there. When the Mime
apolis mills sell first patents in New York
the price is made daily by wire, and when
first patents range from $685. to $3.95 In
Minneapolis, the same flour, is sold in
New York at from s425 to $4.55. Mime
& sofa patents at the same time are re-
ported at from So. 80 to 81 in New York f
This answers, the question of the Dis
patch because it shows that the wholesale
prices in New York are in proportion tc
the retail prices in Minneapolis, freight
included, on the same grade of goods.
Another evidence that there is no foul
trust is the fact that one of the big Min
neapols milling companies recently sue.
ceeded in getting hold OF practically al
the old wheat, although It's competitors
require old wheat in their business, ani
are. to that extent placed at a disadyan
tage temporarily in the trade competi
ton which exists, and which Is as lively
between them as 1t is between any othel
rival establishments in this city engaged
In the same line of business. If there was
trust there would have been no objec
In one company mouopolizing the ole
wheat supply. J "~.,
Furthermore, If there Is a flour trus
why do the millers spend as much money
as they do annually in advertising theil
particular brands and competing in thi:
way with each other?
Contrary to the conclusion Of our con
temporary DOWN the river, the -four bus,
ness doesn't work like trust at all.