The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-08
MILLING INTERESTS
ARE IN JEOPARDY
PROPOSED LAWS ARE
BAD.

The afternoon session of the house
committee on taxes and tax laws was Civ
en- over chiefly to the representatives OF
the Minneapolis and Duluth milling and
ed for the Minneapolis elevator men and
A. c. Loring for the Flour City millers,
The Duluth grain men were represented
by M. j. Forbes, Ward AmeS, A. d.
Thompson and George Spencer.
The feature of the long hearing was
the manner in which A. G. LorinS
brought confusion into the camp If
James Peterson who resumed his tactics
of the morning session. Mr.. Loring was
not the caliber that Peterson could have
fun with and the house repeatedly cheer
ed the discontinue Of the Minneapolis
aSpirant to congressional honors. The
hearing was closed by Rome Brown, III
Minneapolis, who appeared for the water
power. companies.
M. J. Forbes, of Duluth, was the first
of the grain men to enter his protest
against the grain tax clause of the pro-
posed code. Mr.. Forces said the enact
ment of the law will drive the Duluth
elevator men from the state because they
can not affaird to pay "a cents per bushel
tax on grain on which they get only
half a cent per bushel for cleaning, sto9-
ing and shipping He said in part:
for unloading, cleaning and the first If
teen days storage. Nearly all of the
grain received while navigation is open,
or between May and November, goes out
igation closes, usually about Nov. 1, tie
grain received is stored to go out for Nav
delivery. We get three-quarterS of cent
per bushel for this grain, and the taxes, If
collected either on April 1 or May ],
would amount to all We receive for the
storage. We have no means of knowing
who owns the grain. 1t is shipped to Us
and certificates given or sold to us and
Immediately resold for future delivery.
Our elevators are public receivers. We
can not refuse the grain sent US. Holders
could ship to us during the last of MaIcn
and take it out on or before April 8. We
would get pay for the first term of stor-
age and would be compelled to pay tue
tax which is over five times as much as
we receive. Duluth has 10, 1000 of the
100000 bushels elevator capacity at The
head of the lake. There is plenty of room
for new elevators at Superior and it
would be an easy matter to move across
the bay. We would be compelled to
move or go out of business if this code
is enforced. AS it is, it is only by hand
ling very large quantities that we live.
IAN advance in the market price IF
grain does not help us. All we get is
the handling charges. Aside from the
labor employed by the elevators we make
substantial contributions to other lines Of
business. We only pay margins of 70
per cent on the grain coming to our ele-
vators. Nine-tenths q the money en-
ployed in payment for the grain comes
interest between $4,000 and $4,000 annual-
ly. 1t is Minnesota money we borrow.
We pay $4,000 per year in insurance pre-
miums and all of it goes to Minnesota
agents If on the top of this we are oblig-
ed to pay this new tax we will have 10
up this business, which will be swept
away, almost in a. breath, by this law
Ward Ames, represented the Duluth
Board of Trade. Mr.. Ames told how