The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-03-05

1900. that they could not get as much
for their wheat as they deemed it
worth. They reasoned that if they
deducted the freight and profit of
one cent a bushel from the Kansas
City price, their grain ought to be
worth the balance. The farmer had
absolutely no alternative except to
sell his wheat to a local buyer or
keep it in his bins. The pron,s made
by the so-called trust dealers were
enormous. 1t is related that one
western Kansas buyer made a net
profit of $1,000 on twenty carloads
of wheat in three weeks, and he had
an investment of only $4,000.
During the session of the Kansas
legislature of 1901, the farmers
sought legislative relief from the
trust, but without result.
1.-THE farmers who marketed their
grain at Solomon organized coop
erative shipping association. An ex-
perienced grain buyer was employed
on a salary as manager of the bust
ness, an elevator was leased, and on
June Is, at the beginning of the har-
vest of 1901, the elevator was opened
for business.
Under the bylaws of the associa>
ton, every member is required to sell
his wheat to the farmers association,
but a provision is inserted whereby
he may dispose of it outside of the
association by paying into the asso-
citation treasury a rebate of one cent
bushel on all so sold. This provis-
ion is regarded as the bulwark of the
association, and prevents the syndi-
cate from forcing it out of business.
Within two months after the asso-
citation had opened it's elevator, it had
handled over 100000 bushels of
wheat, paying it's members from Z
to 9 cents below the Kansas City
price, although the normal price was
IA cents below, clear gain to the
farmer of from TO cents bushel.
AS a result the syndicate received
very little grain, and kept it's eleva-
tors running at loss. Soon after the
farmers elevator opened, one of the
syndicates ordered the price ad-
vanced to point that would make
the farmers dissatisfied with what
they were receiving at their own ele-
vator, and tempt them to bring their
grain to the syndicate, thus keeping
the farmers elevator from getting
any grain, which, under ordinary cir
cumstances, would force it out Of
business.
"The syndicates had been paying
48 cents a bushel, but this one syndi-
cate advanced the price to 55 cents,
while the farmers elevator were pay
| ing So cents. Instead of attempting
| to meet this advance, the manager
of the farmers elevator simply
weighed the wheat for the farmers
as fast as they brought it in, and
then sent it to the syndicate elevator
to be sold for SIS cents bushel. The
farmer then returned to his own ele-
vator and paid in one cent bushel
o. what he had received, thereby net
ting 81 cents, considerably more than
he would have received had it not
been for the competition caused by
the farmers elevator. The one cent
a bushel received from this source
not only paid the expense of the
farmers elevator, but gave it a profit
besides, so that the syndicate, in
addition to doing business itself at
a loss, actually paid the expenses of
and profit to the very institution
it was endeavoring to destroy. The
attempt was soon given up, and at
the end of three weeks the syndicate
had locked it's elevator and gone out
OF business at Solomon.
The difficulty most feared by the
farmers was that the syndicates
would have sufficient influence with
the railroad companies to prevent
them from securing cars for the ship
| ment of grain. This would mean that
, when their elevator was filled-anG
: it required only from two to foul
! days to fill it-they would have tc
) quit business until they could secure
t cars to empty it, and in the meantime
the farmers would either have to stoI
/ selling their grain or else sell it tt
: the syndicates for whatever the syn
e dicates would pay. After every bis
1 wheat crop there is a car famine. I'm
r der these circumstances, discrimina
ton in the matter of furnishing cars
: to shippers is very easy. The mana
i ger of the farmers elevator at Solo
+ mon was therefore by no means sur
e prised when an order for cars wa,
: not filled. Two days passed after tn,
t order for cars was given, but no car
t arrived, although all previous order
# had been promptly filed MEANWHILE
l. the elevator was rapidly filling witt
t wheat,
e The manager simply ordered car
l. on another line. The other road, cage
), to take business from a rival, quickl,
n fi1lnd tho Ordpr This naopccifoto