The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-06
A FARMERS TRUST
Effort Will Be Made to Combine
Agricultural Interests.
Meeting Called for Omaha March
for That Purpose.
TOPEKA MEN IN 1T.
Farmers Cooperative Shipping
Association the Basis.
MIR. Gaines Thinks Time Is Ripe
for the Movement.

a meeting will be held in Omaha on
March 1 at which it is proposed to con-
solidate all the cooperative agricul-
tural interests in the Mississippi Valley.
In other words it is proposed to formu-
late a real farmers trust, and those
who are behind the project believe that
it will be successful. 1t will be known
as the National Farmers Exchange,
and will be capitalized at $50, 00O, 900.
H. N. Gaines has just returned from
st. Paul, Mimi, where he has been to
speak before the Minnesota Farmers
Exchange, a new state cooperative or
ganization just started in Minnesota.
/ Mr.. Gaines went at the request of the
Minnesota people to explain the work
ings of the farmers cooperative ele-
vators in Kansas. and also speak of the
proposed I ationaI organization TO be
| launched at Omaha.
Mr.. Gaines is chairman of the COM
ruittee which is working up the national
organiza ton. The plan was formulated
at a meeting in Chicago early in De-
cember.
| 1t is proposed to merge the Farmers
Cooperative Shipping association of
Kansas in the national organization.
| The Kansas organization will prac-
tically be enlarged to take in other
lines of agricultural cooperation be-
sides handling grain, and its field will
extend from Texas to Minnesota and
throughout the Mississippi Valley.
1t is the idea to establish terminal
facilities and central offices at Chicago,
ST Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, St
Paul and whatever points is deemed
necessary. There will be different de-
partments for handling grain, cream
cry products, live stock, fruits, lumber
and coal, md SO on
The Farmers Cooperative Shipping
oioF. I1cc- hA ic
/ for this organization, opened it's first
i elevator on July 8, 1903. 1t now has
35 shipping points, including 20 ele-
vators, in Kansas, Oklahoma and Ne
braska. It's paid up capital is $4,000,
and on January 5, at the close of it's
first six months of business, it had
/ handled 1000. 000 bushels of wheat and
had accumulated profits amounting to
nearly $14,00O while it had raised the
price of wheat from three to five cents
a bushel at nearly every point where it
/ does business. Its shares are SO each,
and the majority of stockholders have
only one or two shares each, SO that It's
aggregate membership very large. For
instance, at Billings, Okla, it has over
300 shareholders.
Mr.. Gaines is very much encouraged
over the state of affairs which he found
in Minnesota He says the meeting at
/ ST Paul was attended by more than
one hundred representative farmers
from over the state, and they expressed
| the belief that Minnesota is ready to
go into the new orgs nization.
| There are over 600 cooperative
creameries alone in Minnesota" said
| Mr. Gaines today, and 106 Independent
cooperative elevators. There are 75
| farmers elevators in Nebraska and
| about so in Illinois, besides what we
| have in Kansas and other states
"All these cooperative industries will
be able to do much better if they are
combined into one association so that
| fhpU will he 9h10 have their
terminal facilities for handling grain In
the different grain centers. and do their
| own exporting. At present a big profit
goes to the grain dealers between the
sale at the elevator and it's receipt by
the foreigner.
Then the cooperative creamery COM
panies will be able to do much better
if they can do business on a large
scale, with agents in all the large
centers. We propose, too, in time, to
| enter the packing industry. At present
| the live stock men are being deprived
/ of millions of dollars in profits every
year 1t is estimated that the packing
house combine has taken S11 900 00C
from the farmers of Kansas alone dur
ing the past year.
There are now a number of cooper
| atiVe associations in various parts OF
the country which are operating on a
comparatively large scale and are max
ing a success of it. In Michigan there
is a cooperative associa ton which
grapes especially, and it is said thai
the profits to the grower have been in
| creased from two to three cents pound
by il There is an association at Gov
| fngton, Ill, known as the Farmers
| League and Federation of America
which does a good business. Then there
| is a sort of farmers fraternal orga nj.
zation in Oklahoma known as the
| Farmers Cooperative union, with 6
membership of between 5000 and A. 900
and our own Farmers Co-opera tive
| Shipping association, which has done
extremely well in the first six months
of its business. 1t is estimated thai
there are about 500 Independent farm
ers' elevators in the grain belt which
ought to be combined.
"Of course the success of the project
depends upon its being properly safe
guarded and in getting the right kind
of men at the head of the various de.
! partments- This is necessary in any
! business. We have been gaining ex
perience along this line and we believe
the plan we now have outlined will bs
successful. We intend to make sehoo
house campaign to enlist the farmers
in this organizati ton
At the meeting at Chicago on De
cember I, where this scheme was for
mulated, there were representatives
from 13 states, and the following com
mittee was appointed to promulga t;
the plan: H. N Gaines. chairman. To
peka, Kan; Robert LindnlOm, Secreta
ry. Chicago; L B. Day, Albion, Neb.
c. E Jackson. Buckman, Mimi; W. F
Hendricks Wakita, Ok.
1t was first intended to hold tn,
Omaha meeting about the middle O
June. but this will come at the wrons
time for the wheat-growers of Kansas
and Oklahoma and the date has beer
changed to March l, as that is the on
| on which the farmers can get ava,
: from home most easily. The recon-
mendations made by this COMMITTEES
: for the organization to be formed a
Omaha are as follows:
while we realize that cooperation
must be applied to all farm product