The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-12-10

hdulAtNo' hhIlliS W.
The above notice printed in German
and English and posted in
various places throughout the town and
country has been the cause of consider
able comment and no little dissati- fac
tion among the farmers Of this vicinity.
The dissatisfaction has in fact gone 30
far as to result In meetings aud in some
places, notably at Newton, a boycott
against beer manufactured by the
Rahr Sous Co. or the Kunz, Bleser
Co. has been instigated Farmers have
even approached saloon keepers in this
city with II request that they sign II
paper refusing to take the above men.
toned beer. In Nalders "a move
ment has been started 10 establish
farmers warehouse.
The farmers do not object particu-
larly to the inspection but claim that
it is not uniform, that here is II great
discrepancy for instance between the
grading on the north side and the
grading on the south side and that
partiallity is shown On the other
hand the sguers of the above notice
| strenuously assert that there is no
partiaity at all and that whatever
discrepancies in grading there may he
are slight and are only the result of the
inevitable differences OF judgement be
tween two inspectors in close cases.
Prior to Nov. :, 1908, it had been the
custom of the grain merchants of the
city to buy barley as they buy any other
grainthat is at one price. The result
was that all kinds of barley were
brought in good, bad and Indifferent.
The farmer whose barley was { # color
or dark or full of thiStles, etc, could get
exactly the same price for it as the
farmer whose barley was clean and
| first class Those who had good barley
consequently took rs much as they
could to other markets such as Sheboy-
gan and Milwaukee, sending the poor
stuff to the only market that would take
! it, namely Manitowoc This condition
Of affairs grew worse and worse until
the movement To have an inspection
was started.
A member of one of the firms signing
the notice when interviewed by re
preventative of THE PILOT said The
step has been taken not only for the
protection of the grain dealers of Mani
towoc but for the benefit of the farmers
of the county rs well There are at
present four grades of barley, A. B. &.
and D. The farmer, now, who has A.
or B. barley, gets u better prics for it
than he could possibly have gotten
under the former system, for the simple
reason that under that system, when
one price was paid for all barley, that
price naturally had to be less than can
now be paid for good barley Consequent
ly it is not the farmer with good sound
barley who complains against the in
spection system but II Is the farmer
whose barley is inferior.
The remarks of other signers of the
notice were in like vein. There was
some hesitancy among the merchants in
divulgiug the name of the firm or per-
son who first started the new idea but
| it was stated emphatically by those
intervie wed that the arrangement was
mutual and that the expenses of the
inspection would be born by all pro
rata Up to the present time the mat
ter has been il the hands of Mr.. Ritchie
of the Northern Grain Company who
| is secretary and treasurer of the as-
sociation. Mr. Ritchie has, SO FAR.
paid ont all the necessary monies, but
| contends that he j. simply acting rs the
agent of all the rest and that Everyone
| of the firms signing the agreement will
be assessed its share This,it is claimed.
precludes the possibility of any PARTIAL
ty being shown to any one firm in
particular.
1t is hoped through means of the in
spection that the large bulk of the bar
lev trade which had been taken else
where will be gradually brought back
to Manitowoc. A meeting OF farmers TO
discuss the subject will be held at Clover
| ! ,,,,x ca nrJa