The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-01-18
CITY OFFICIAL PAPER.
WEDNESDAY,, JANUARY is, 1902.
A NEW MILL.

The purpose of the farmers meet
ing called for Saturday. January 25,
notice of which appears on another
page, is to take the preliminary steps
toward the erection of a new flour
mill and elevator.
1t is the privilege of every person
to make as much as possible in legit-
innate business, and that is no doubt
the purpose of the Royal milling
company but the Bee believes that
company has made mistake in it's
method of dealing with the farmers
of Flathead valley.
The farmers are willing to allow to
the miller a fair profit on their
products, but they are not of the
stamp to sit idly by and allow the
miller to take the entire profit, leav-
ing but bare existence to the
farmer, and the mill which attempts
to do so, even though it has no COM
petition, makes a mistake.
Notwithstanding the present high
price of wheat in the east, the price
paid in Kalispell is but about So
cents per bushel, while -four is worth
$210 per hundred, wholesale. A
bushel of wheat will make 40 pounds
of flour, worth "a cents at $2.10 per
hundred, and Is pounds of feed worth
IA cents, making total of SO cents
per bushel; of this the farmer re-
ceives So cents for blowing, planting,
harvesting, threshing and hauling,
and out of it he must pay taxes and
land.
The milling company receives AZ
and marketing and for interest on it's
investment. This is manifestly a very
nnair division, and one that the
farmers of the valley will not stand.
If the figures given by the Bee are
not correct, it is very willing to cor
rect them, as it has no desire to do an
injustice to the milling company or
any one else.
In North Dakota the mills pay 10
cents for the same grade of wheat
and they receive less than So per
hundred for flour. In order to get a
monopoly of the business, the Royal
Milling company no doubt paid a
good price for the Peplow and K l.
G. mills, but the company makes a
mistake in trying to get it's money
back in single season, for the result
will be to drive the farmers out OF
the business of wheat growing Mr.
Barr, a large grower of wheat last
year, has sold his lands and removed
from the county because of this con
dition. And unless some remedy is
found the acreage planted to wheat
the coming season will be very small
The benefits of competition are
shown by the fact that one year ago
wheat brought rs cents per bushel at
the Kalispell mills; today it brings
81 cents, notwithstanding it is much
higher in the east The farmers of
the valley can afford to build a mill
and let it stand idle. for the mere
fact that they are not dependent on
the one company to take their grain
will increase the price of grain sutfi-
cient to pay for the mill in one sea.
son.
But there is no reason why such a
mill could not be operated at profit
The K. l. C. mill started with bur.
den of debt amounting to $17,5O0
and Notwithstanding this handicap
the high prices paid for grain and
the misfortune in having its dam
washed away, the Indebtedness was
reduced over $4,000 in three years.
All that is needed is concerted &C,
ton on the part of those interested
Every person who can possibly do SO
should attend the meeting to be held
at the court house in Kalispell on
Saturday, January 25.
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