The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-14

An address by President J. J. Hill
of the Northern Securities company
upon the relations between northwest
ern farmers, the oriental wheat and
Hour smarket, the merger railroads
and Mr.. Chamberlain's proposed
British tariff, attracted yesterday
afternoon a much-increased attend
ance at the annual meeting of the
state agricultural society. Mr.. Hill
was cordially applauded, especially by
the farmers and the ladies.
The crowd, not all of whom were
directly interested in 'cattle feeding
exhibited some Impotence when l.. H.
Kerrick of Bloomington, ILL.,, dwelt
upon that subject for more than an
hour while Mr.. Hill was waiting to be
heard. Mr.. Kerrick gave technical
directions for cattle feeding in ac-
cordance with the rules that brought
to him his acknowledged success. He
maintained that beef, the imperial
flesh blood of the human race" could
be raised with profit upon land worth
$50 an acre. Practical judgment,
however, should be followed, not alb
Stract theory.
Mr.. Hill's Address.
Minnescta's dependence upon the
farm was vigorously emphasized by
Mr.. HILL He approved what had been
done to help the farm and the farmer,
agricultural colleges instead. of one in
the state. He said the people of the
state generally were not taking enough
interest in the farms. The agricul-
tural society came in for nice bOu-
quet for it's excellent work. Then Mr..
Hill turned his attention to the state
us a stock-raisng state. He told Of
his own experiences and successes,
and pointed out that what he had done
others could do and it was the bust
ness of the public to see that the farm
er had a fair opportunity. The emil
grafton to northwestern Canada was
alluded to, and then the speaker
turned his attention to irrigation and
the program of land legislation de-
sired by the big western railroads.
The Market in the Orient.
kets in the orient and of his efforts to
secure them, Mr.. Hill said that
Washington farmers, unable to sell
their wheat two years ago for more
than so cents d bushel, were now get
ting Is or 80 cents a bushel because
of the oriental demand that he had
opened up.
Last February and March the mills
In Minneapolis began, in a small way,
to ship flour to Australia and to China
and to Japan. 1t seemed long way
to send flour to market, from Mime
apOlS Dy Way Ol lue L dClllC Quasi "
Australia, but by taking advantage of
all the conditions entering into the
question of transportation, loading
our cars in both directions with full
loads, we were able to give d rate from
Minneapolis to Hongkong of 40 cents
q hundred--40 cents a hundred for
5000 miles-$S ton! 1t is a mill a
Minneapolis to Hingkong of 40 cents
that ever was thought Of on the face
of the earth. The rate of transported
ton from here to New York Q,OO
miles) is 25 cents hundred, SIS ton.
1t is 1000 miles Of rail transportation
from here to the coast and then 5000
miles of water,
II have been charged with every
thing-from an oriental dreamer to
a crank Uaughter); but am ready at
all times to plead guilty to any intel
ligent effort within my power that will
result in getting new markets for
what we produce in this northwestern
country; because every bushel that
you take out Of the market here, every
bushel you send to new market,
every bale of cotton you send to a new
market, everything that you send to
new market, helps what is left, the
surplus saved is that much less, and
1t is not here to compete with our
own shipments to Liverpool or Ant
werp."
Quoting statistics from 1.-The Mime
apoliS Journal, paper that reserves
the right to criticize me, but a paper
that would not be charged with any
partiality," Mr.. Hill showed the rapid
growth of traffic in wheat and flour
shipped from Puget sound to Japan.
China, Australia, South Africa and
Egypt.
'"That business has only begun, and
yet the largest orders for -four that
have ever come to Minneapolis from
any quarter have come from the
Orient. So great~is this demand that
to-day it is making itself felt in the
price of every bushel of wheat that
is sold in this market. The most in
telligent wheat authority I know told
me, within a few weeks, that the low
est estimate that he could make of
the enhanced price Of grain, owing to
this Oriental demand, was already 5
cents, and he thought that actual fig
ures would show it to be cents, a
bushel.
''Now, if it is cents a bushel on
1S0,0O0,000 bushels raised in our three
northwestern states, it amounts to
S9,000,000. Tt is worth saving, 1T is
worth making an effort to bring it
our power tried to make it possible to
carry that into effect.
Now, what help do we get?
When we make a rate that is the
lowest rate that ever was made for
transportation in the world. We have
to defend ourselves from the state and
from the nation because we are res
training trade!" Absolutely refend-
ing ourselves from restraining trade!''