The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-03

100000 bushels of wheat receipts at
Minneapolis during the year-of which
all but about 100000 is ground into
flour.
The nearby mills give a direct home
market for the farm product, which Is
In an important factor in sustaining
wheat prices. Often the Minneapolis
mills pay to cents per bushel above
the Chicago and export price. AS 1T
is to the interest Of the millers to do
business on rising, instead Of a falling
wheat market they have given the
farmers effective cooperation in sus-
tanning prices. The late Chas. A. Pills
bury, for years known as the flour king
of the world, is known to have sunk
hundreds of thousands OF. dollars in an
effort TO support "the bull" side of the
market against the aggressions Of the
Chicago "bears."
The 100000 bushels Of wheat re-
CURED to supply the Minneapolis mills
help the wheat producers of the entire
country in the matter of world prices
for our staple grain Of the Northwest.
Minnesota flour enters every market on
the globe, when wheat has but the
sofa had no flour manufacturing in
dustry, this 100000 bushels required
to supply the Minneapolis mills and the
100000 to 100000 more required
to supply the rest of Minnesota's mills,
a total of probably 120,000,000 bushels,
would be dumped upon the Liverpool
market and break it down; and the re-
suit would be ruinous prices for the
entire wheat product of this country,
with consequent restriction of North
western wheat production and farm
development But. transposed into
flour, our wheat product is distributed
among the ten thousand markets OF
all continents and chimes.
1t was once more or less in vogue
among farmers, and doubtless more or
less for cause, to complain of the treat
| ment received at the hands Of the mil
| Ter. The cessation of the complaints
to a large extent in recent years may
| be accounted for by a little scrutiny
of the census statistics, which in the
case of Minnesota, at least, throw upon
the relations of the mill and farm an
interesting light.
The point that will interest the farm
er is this, that the increase in the value
of the grain materials bought by the
| mills Of Minnesota during the late cen
sus decade, 1890-19O0, has gone hand
finland with the increase in the value
of the mill product sold. In other
words, that wheat values have kept
step with flour values, and that the
miller has "toted fair with the farmer.
The increase in the value Of the
-four and grist product by the mills
of Minnesota, comparing 1900 with
1890, is a little over $23, 100000, or not
quite 40 per cent.
The increase in the cost of the ma
terials bought by the mills is little
over $22,000000, or about AZ per cent;
tliC pCICSAISlS5S VI tilCI SttSS III COSL VI
materials, which are principally wheat,
being a fraction greater than in the
value of the flour and other mill pro-
ducts sold.
In view of the fact that the volume
Of wages paid by Minnesota flour mills
during the census decade also increased
about SO per cent, and the further fact
that there was % per cent increase
in the amount Of capital, due to an in
crease in milling capacity and to the
increase in the number Of mills from
307 in 1890 to 512 in 1900, thereby en-
failing greater fixed charges and gen.
eral operating eXpenses-it is sur
prising that the farm producers Of the
raw materials should be able to find
the record so strongly in their favor.
1t is certainly very satisfactory from
the farmers standpoint to know that
Of the S23,000,000 Of increase in the
value Of the product; $22,000,000 has
gone into increase in the cost of ma
terials, and mainly into wheat; and
specially gratifying that the price paid
crease as compared with a 40 per cent
increase in the value of the mill pro-
duct.
The fact that the -four industry has
no tariff protection and has never re-
ceived government favors Of any kind
always like the farm, fighting it's own
battles against world competition and
with abundance Of domestic COMPETE
ton In the bargain-has a great deal,
doubtless, to do with the above result.
Not only has the flour industry had no
aid from government, but it has been
bitterly Disseminated against. It has
had to pay tariff taxes on it's machin-
cry and bagging. 1t has had to pay
railroad discrimination in flour rates
as compared with wheat rates. 1t has
had unjust dock charges to meet.
It has had hostile wheat tariffs to
contend with in, securing its material
Today 1oO,0O0,O0O bushels Of the best
toba and Assiniboia, just across on our
northern border-is shut out of Min
nesota mills and forced upon the Liv-
erpool market, not only building up a
foreign flour industry to take away
our export trade for flour, but breaking
down the world price for wheat, be-
cause selfish politicians have betrayed
the interests of their country and de-