Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-15
Tremendous Amount of Corn
Being Shipped Out of the
State Just Now
FARMER COMPANIES ARE ACTIVE
Secretary MesseroIe Says Amount Of
Grain Handled by tho Cooperative
Concerns is Astonishing - Talks
About the State Movement for Far
mers' Organizations.
,necial to rImes-Republican.

| Fort Dodge, Dec. 15.-Manager Mes
serole Of the Farmers Elevator Com
pany, of Gowrie, and who Is
also secretary Of the Iowa State
Farmers Grain Association, recently
organized at Rockwell, was in the city
Wednesday on matters OF business
connected with his concern. He
states that the grain buying business
in his territory Is booming. During
the past week the farmers elevator
there has taken in $4,000 bushels OF
shelled corn, and there is no end OF
the rush yet in sight. The farmers
elevator as an enterprise Is proving
very successful.
Eyes, we are doing a great business
at our elevator. But then we are
paying the prices that will get the
trade. SO that accounts for the amount
of grain we take. OF course, we get
the entire output Of grain from our
stockholders of whom there are l00
beside the greater part Of the trade
"At the present time we are paying
80 cents per bushel for shelled corn.
and during the most Of the fall when
the line elevators were paying only 20
and 26 cents for oats we were paylgn
as high as thirty cents. The farm
ers are enthusiastic over the prices
they get for their grain at their own
elevator, as compared with that oner-
ed at the concerns Of the surrounding
towns.
"When we organized the farmers
elevator at Gowrie two years ago, II
was regarded as a most visionary
scheme. and it was q hard struggle to
get the people interested In 1t. NOW.
however. it is thoroughly established
and on a firm business basis. There
is no possibility of the line concerns
getting the best of the institution az
the stockholders have the grain ana
thew are going to stand back OF their
own institution, they fully realize that
this is what holds up the prices aga
they are not going to Kill their own
safeguard, by delivering their crops
to the line concerns"
Mr.. Messerole is secretary OF the
Farmers Grain Dealers Association
of Iowa, and he states the tendency
In all parts of the state at the present
time is to organize the farmers ele-
vatos. whereby the farmers are en-
abled to market their own grain.
"In my opinion" continued ne,
"there will be as many as 200 of these
farm elevator companies organized by
this date a year from now. The IDEA
nj and 1T will
not be a great length Of time In my
opinion when the farmers of the state
will control the grain market OF Iowa
and be able to quote the prices gen.
erallly.
Under the present system of line
elevators, the farmers are being rob-
bed outright. The line companies
have gained control Of the whole grain
producing territory OF this country to
such an extent that they can make
it impossible for an independent buy
err to live unless he is governed by
their rules and pays the prices quot
ed by them in their dummies. With
the farm organizations, it is different.
and they are unable to combat them,
as they are backed by the very men
who produce the grain, and the farm
ers. as / said previously, are bound to
stand by their own institution.
IA month ago, at the time of the
meeting of the farmers state organ
ization of Rockwell City, there were
thirty Of these farmers elevators
in operation over the state. Since
that time there have been ten more
added to the list and there are now
to- av>{N cfa nj
completion.
1.-THE growth Of the movement from
this time on will be very rapid, and
there is no question, but that it will
assume control Of the entire grain OUT
put of the state at no remotely dis
tant date. 1t is q great movement
and there is nothing that can now ar
rest it.
II notice that in the western part Of
the state, according to the papers
there. even the country merchants are
becoming alarmed, for fear the CO.
operative movement Of the farmers,
which has already entered into the
lumber. hardware and implement lines
will spread to all branches OF trade.
II think there Is no danger of this
for the present at least, however. All
the farmers want is good prices for
their grain. Now even at the prices
we have been paying for grain the
past fall, and we have been offering
from three to five cents more on the
bushel than the line concerns of other
towns have paid) we have conducted
our business on money making
basis. My idea Of conducting con-
Germ such as ours is that 1t should
be run on sound business principles
and that after the running expenses
Of the concern are settled and profits
should be turned over to the stock
holders in the form Of dividends.
I'VE are handling livestock, coal,
lumber and farm machinery, as we'll
as grain, and the farmers get the bene-
fit of the lowest possible prices on all
these commodities as we'll as the high
est prices for the stuff they sell. Our
business is a growing one and is
branching out continually. We have
drawn grain to our market right away
from the line elevator territory as far
as fifteen miles, and the scope OF in
fuence is widening all the time.
There is great stir in this direc-
ton among the farmers of every part
Of the state, / am getting inquiries
Ayyar