The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-11
Attorney A. H. Lossow Reads Paper
Before the B. of. r.
Conditions in Mankato Must Be Ma
teriaIIy Improved Upon.
Raisers Of Wheat Look for the Best
Selling Point.
Discussion Then Ensues aad Number
Of Suggestions Made.

This mornings meeting of the board
of trade was one of more than usual
interest and the attendance was better
than the average.
A communication was read from
harvester company, desiring to lease for
five years suitable building located
on railway tracks, for the establishment
of small branch plant. The building
desired is to be of dimensions suitable
to accommodate $50 to 200 cars of ma
chinery, Irvine and repairs. The COM
pany would like to have the building by
the first of October or November. The
matter was referred to the committee
on public improvements.
Attorney A. Fl. Lossow read paper
ON the Mankato markets, saying in part:
''1t is noticeable fact that the city of
Mankato does not get her proportionate
share of the farmers trade of the coun
ty. Merchants and professional men of
this city know this fact and it is not
deemed necessary to cite statistics to
prove this statement. Many of our
citizens discuss this condition of things
and many guesses are given for the rea-
son thereof. Having lived in a farming
community where they do a great deal
of marketing and having heard their ar
guments for sighting Mankato, I think
I can give you few statements from
the views of the farmers of this county,
that may throw a little light on the
matter. None of us will deny that this
city has many natural disadvantages for
a market place. From several points it
is almost inaccessible because of the
steep hills all around us. While this is
not a thing that will keep farmers away,
it is nevertheless considered by those
who have to haul heavy loads. In or
der to make my comments specific, l
shall treat this subject from a stand
point of the people living in the vi
cinity of st. Clair When they haul
their produce to Eagle Lake, GAINESVILLE,
Smith Mills or Mapleton, they have
practically a level road which makes
hauling for them to these points quite
easy.
'You will find farmers selling where
they are able to do the best. This last
fall the same custom also followed. The
farmers tried this wheat market and got
grade No. in Mankato, and hauled
wheat out of the same bin and got a
grade of No. 2 in that little town of
Smith Mills, which is hardly as large as
the stumps you pass on the road to that
place. Still this difference in the grade
of the wheat means a difference of four
cents per bushel to the farmer. And |
am sure I need not tell you where they
are hauling their grain under these con-
ditions.
with the hog and cattle market the
same condition prevails. When farmers
get from so to 60 cents per hundred more
at Eagle Lake than in GAINESVILLE for
their live stock, it is an easy matter to
prophesy that Mankato will not receive
many visits from the farmers who have
live stock for sale. They simply can not
come here at a sacrifice. If we can offer
an inducement, we should at least give
them what they can get in our neighbor-
ing towns.
eff we wish to become larger city, if
we wish to become more prosperous, we
have certain duties to perform. They
must encourage the building of new and
better roads; they must encourage every
effort that may tend to the building of
rural electric roads such, as an electric
road from here to Eagle Lake and st.
Clair, and thereby overcome to great
extent the natural disadvantages that we
labor under hereinbefore mentioned. Our
markets must improve and we must Of
fer the same prices for the same quality
of goods, as do the little country villages
around us. If our markets are only
equal to those of the surrounding town,
MANY farmers will overlook the natural
disadvantages of high hills and poor
roads and will come here to transact all
their business, which now to great ex-
tent goes elsewhere, for all the farmers
say that while Mankato has the poorest
market in the county, as purchasing
place it offers the best inducements of
any place in southern Minnesota. 1t
therefore behooves us to offer such in
ducements to the farmers that they will
come here and sell their products and it
is an axiom that if we can accomplish
this. Mankato will have business re-
vival which will be permanent, and if the
farmers will come here to sell their pro-
ducts they will certainly come here to
stay long enough to buy some of our
goods. 1 do not wish to be personal in
the matter at all, but such an offer as
Nyquist & Iverson have made donating
one per cent of their sales for the year
toward the building of good roads is