The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-20
MILLS AGAIN
MAKING FLOUR
Railroads Promise Help in Adjust
ing Rates on a Fair
Basis.
Some Of the Mills Are Already
Grinding-More Will Start
Tonight.
The. Shut Down Was a Good Thing
in More Ways Than
One.

~ ESdlirOauS Will dccOIO SucH treatment "
the Minneapolis millers as will enable
them to reopen tfir plants and the hum
Of activity will soon be heard again in
the great local industry. No positive
statements as to concessions have been
made by. the roads. Millers do not know
just what they will get. But from q
source high enough up to carry the stamp
Of authority they have the assurance that
concessions will be made and on this are
willing to resume operations. There is
a meeting of railroad men billed for to-day
In st. Paul and from this may come an
exact statement Of what the roads are
willing to concede. e.
Two of the smaller mills are in operation
now, and the milsl of the larger COM
panies viii start up later. Neither the
Washburn- Crosby, the Pillsbury-Wash-
burn nor the Consolidated Milling COM
panies have any mills in operation at this
time but three Of the Washburn- Crosby
mills will start tonight. BY tomorrow
morning it Is probable that of the twen-
ty-two mills in the city twelve will be In
operation. or these mills, four will be
the smaller individual properties: the
Phoenix, Cataract, Dakota and G.. C..
Christian mills, SO that while the num-
Der of mills grinding may be over halt
the total number, the output will be IN
creased to only about one third OF normal.
There was a split in the ranks OF. the
millers late on Saturday. The smaller
mills while in the same position as the
larger companies, had not found the sit
uation pressing them quite so hard. With
the advance In flour prices and some UNI
filled contracts on hand they decided that
it would be possible to grind at some
profit, and would have started up their
plants then but Tor loyalty to the Others :
Great Western influence.
b II is intimated in milling circles that the
Chicago Great Western road led the fight
In a conference Of railroad men and that
fear that this road might break loose and
make some kind of an independent play
for the bulk Of the business prompted the
other roads to insist upon uniformity of
action looking towards concession.
A positive loss of business and the
chance of a greater loss in the future
operated to influence the railroads. It is
a poor day when Minneapolis does not
ship out 10000 barrels OF flour. FIRE.
auently the daily shipments rim to SO,
900 barrels, and TOT, 400 barrels has been
shipped In; one day during a rush. On
Friday Minneapolis shipped 3S,S2S bar
rels; ON Saturday, 1888 barrels; Sunday
and to-day, 1926 barrels and in another
day there would be nothing moving. It Is
this that hits the railroads. The flour
traffic is a permanent thing, and too good
not to be cultivated.
Good From the Shut Down.
The shut down cannot fail to be OF
! great benefit. to the industry as it has
been the means Of bringing the railroads
| to realization OF the wisdom of stand
| ing by a big manufacturing interest. II
| has also: brought the mills into closer
| touch with. one another and has demon
strated that while they compete for bust
ness they can get together upon a con-
certed move and stand together to the
finish on anything affecting their mutual
interests. - = : = ~ - r
s.4 Plan Still to Be Defined.
I'VE have received assurances from the
| roads that. they are disposed to help us
OUT said James s. Bell of the Wash
burn Crosby company, land upon the full
dllment of their promises will depend the
permanence of operation. It. Is not be-
cause OF such assurances alone that we
will resume grinding. We closed down
| very suddenly At that time we had or
hand some untitled contracts, and having
| figured up. just where we stood, we would
| have been obliged to open up long enough
to clean up this business whether the
railroads had yeered around to our point
| Of view, or not. And this IS really why
we are starting up again to clean up this
old business. Meanwhile, however; I an
happy to say the railroads have given us
| assurances OF an encouraging nature
They have, not as. yet committed them
selves to exact statements as to what
| they will do but we feel sure Of their sin
cerity and are confident of fair treatment
! So we will begin operating our plants
and feel that they will run permanently
but Of course ecerything will depend upor
what our rates are to be-"