The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-06-13
Cold Storage Scheme

! We published an article last
week in regard to the cold stor-
age plan of sending cream to the
cities instead of to the local
creameries. The article is a
complete expose of an attempt
which is being made to get con-
troll of the butter industry of the
state, and which if successful
will result in the crippling of the
local creameries which have been
SO largely instrumental in de-
veloping the dairy interests of
the state and bringing prosperity
to our farming interests. AS
plainly set forth, the cold storage
company in many cases offers
what might appear to be slight
advance on prices for cream, but
if they should succeed in attract
ing the patronage of the far m ers
from their local concerns the
cold storage companies would
soon have monopoly, and with
the destruction of the home COM
petition the makers of cream
would soon be at the mercy of
the cold storage companies. We
are pleased to State that in this
community there is no inclina-
tion on the part of farmers to
desert their home creameries, as
the result can be readily seen,
and we do not believe there would
be in any locality where the mat
ter was understood by the farm
ers and dairymen.
The following from the Dawson
Sentinel is a corroboration of
what we have already said on the
subject:
The farmers of Lac qui Parle county
will make the biggest mistake of their
lives if they allow the cold storage
trust at Minneapolis to get them to
withdraw their patronage from the CO.
operative creameries. The agents of
the cold storage company have been
and probably are now working in
various parts of this county, but so
far, we are glad to say, have gained
very little foothold. Their method of
working the farmer is something like
this: They induce him to buy hand
separator and whether this separator
is good, bad or Indifferent we are un-
able to say, but are informed that the
experiment station has not been given
an opportunity to test it): then they
make all kinds of promises, especially
that the farmer will receive more for
his product than the creamery can pay
him; low express rates are given on
certain lines of railroad and the cans
are returned free of charge. In other
words, every inducement is given the
farmer to quit patronizing his home
creamery, which is paying him as
much as can be paid by any one, and
in many cases much more. After the
cold storage company has secured the
business that belongs to the creamery,
the creamery naturally has to shut
down, and then the trust will pay just
as much as it pleases. This has been
proven, we are informed, at St.
Michaels, Lowry, Clarissa, Rices,
Glenwood, Farewell, and many other
places in the state, and a letter ad-
dressed to any of the above places
will bring reply as to the cold stor-
age company's methods of doing bus
mess with the farmers. All that !.
wanted is to destroy the local cream
cries. Until that is done the farmers
may get as much for their cream, but
when the trust gets free control the
farmers will get what the trust wants
to pay them.
The cold storage trust is not doing
business this year where it did last.
This is worthy of note. The following
copy of letter from Edgeley, N. D.,
will explain the reason why:
Edgeley, N. D., Feb. 10, 1902.
We shipped 80 pounds of cream the
9th day OF January, which tested "a
per cent, for which we received q
cents per pound for fat. Immediately
thereafter we shipped $50 pounds to
Fargo Agricultural college, which
tested 80 per cent, for which we re-
ceived @ cents. The first can we
shipped to the Minneapolis Cold Stor-
age company, and we received for
same S4.O3 net. Three cans we shipped
to the Fargo agricultural college and
received S.. IS per can net. The cream
screw was set the same on the separa a.
tor and the machine run at the same
| speed. Yours Truly,
WASHBURN BROS.