Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-07-15
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|WILLTHEY BE REASONABLE?
Graf" Growers Fear That Thrs.h hing Com
bInss will Charge Extortioa.ts
Prices.
In view of the fact that a county Or
gan'zation of the Threshermen' Ma
tional Protective Association has been
formed in Kandiyohi county, the fol-
lowing from Saturdays Minneapolis
Journal will be of interest to both
threshermen and their patrons in this
vicinity. There seems to be the same
feeling in this county among the farm
ers which is prevalent in many locali-
ties, in regard to the object of these
threshermen's unions. They are
looked upon with distrust by many
who will be forced to pay the prices
demanded for threshing, farmers fear
ing that the charges will be extortion-
ate. The grain growers say that they
are not getting any too much for their
grain in our markets and if their
threshing bills cut cons iderable into
their expense accounts it will mean
more to them than many perhaps
realize On the other hand, the men,
bers of these unions claim that moth
ing will be done but what is fair, and
that these different rumors which are
being spread through the country re-
garding their organizations are many
OF them unwarranted. The fact that
their meetings are being conducted so
secretly, they say, does not necessar-
lily meaa that they intend to edo up''
the farmers. The journal says:
Managers Of the local branches of
the large tire shing machine manufac-
turers are inclined to view with salts
faction the activity of the tbreshers'
organization, known as the Thresher-
mems National Protective Associa-
| ton.
Reports from Buffalo Lake and 9TH
er parts of the state indicate that the
tbreshers' combine is beginning to in
terest the grain growing farmers to the
extent OF causing them to organize into
mutual companies'' for the purpose
OF buying their own threshing m achiues
and doing their own thresbing by shar-
ing the expense of the original invest
ment and the actual work of threshing.
The T N. P. A. is an organization
containing about q, 900 members, and
pretty we'll covering the graip-growing
portions of fifteen states, Minnesota
among them. The membership is linn
tied to owners and operators of thresb-.
ing machines, and the avowed purpose
OF the organization, which is secret
one, with lodges, passwords. ETC., is to
maintain the price for threshing grain.
1t Is about three years old.
This combination for the mainte-
napce of a uniform price does not
4 appear to please the farmers, who
ara beginning to fear extortion, and
to guard against this evil, are plan
ming the formation of mutual thresh-
ing companies, much as they have
planned mutual creamery companies.
Local threshing machine dealers,
who have had more or less success in
getting their money for threshing
machines sold, are inclined to believe
that it ia better for all parties con-
cerned that the threshers should
organize in order to prevent the
cutting of prices. This insures that
machines will be paid for. Inasmuch
as the T. N. P. A. has put the business
on more reliable basis, the agents
are not inclined to view with special
appro baton the advent of another fac
tor in the shape of the farmers mu-
tual. This is the sentiment OF the
neutrality-suspicious. agents in Minnea-
polls seen today. Another man on I'm
plement row, who does not handle
threshing machines, shed little light
on the subject by explaining:
'When the average farmer buys q
threshing machine he gives mortgage
on his farm for it. Then he starts out
to work. So do several of his neigh
bors, perhaps. They begin to under
bid each other to get the business, and
the result is that in 8 season or so
they 60 bump and the threshing ma
chine companies own the machines and
the farms too. That is what the thresh-
ing machine companies want to avoid.
They would rather see the farmer make
enough out of his machine to pay for
it. The average thresher is not very
good business man and the combina-
ton will probably insure better thresh-
ing and better business conditions all