The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-11-25
TALK OF A MERGER
Board of Trade and the 9usi-
ness Mems Association.
Matter Is Discussed in Latter
Body Last Evening.
Railroad Rates Are Touched Up
on BY the Members.
Local Market Receives Atten-
tion--0ther Topics.
From Thursdays Daily.

Union with the Board of Trade was
the main topic under discussion at last
evenings meeting of the Mankato Bust
ness Mems association. All who were
there appeared to be in favor of the
merger, yet, as the majority of the MEM
bers had not known the matter was
coming up for discussion, no action was
taken at that meeting further than to
make the matter special order for the
next regular meeting. All the members,
of whom there are about ninety, will be
notified by Secretary Ogle of the fact
that the next meeting will be given over
mainly to the consideration of that prop
osition.
Secretary Ogle thought it would be
well to adopt some new name for the
united body, such as chamber OF
Commerce."
President Richards doubted whether
the majority of the members of the as
ISOLATION would care to merge with the
board
Henry f. Hance called the attention of
the association to q matter that has
been discussed before, project which
has found general favor, namely the
celebration of the Fourth of July in
Mankato by concerted effort of the citi-
zens. Mr.. Hance is a member of the
committee to whom that matter was re-
ferred quite a while ago. He reported
that the committees had met and talked
the project over. The committee had
planned to have all the men of the city
line of trade get together and appoint
one of their number committeeman to
work in conjunction with the commit
tee aforesaid. The committee though
it best to get down to active work in
the making of preparations in the early
part of January. A rousing entertain
ment that would bring thousands into
the city on the Fourth could easily be
prepared ana gwen.
Railroad roasting was another fea-
ture of the evenings meeting. Mr.
Hance called attention to the claim made
at the recent meeting of the Board of
Trade, that it costs $l.0O to get a ton
of coal hauled from Duluth to st. Paul
and $l.25 to get that same ton hauled
on to Mankato.
haul of hundred pounds of merchan-
disc from Chicago to st. Paul costs 4j
cents; and from Chicago to Mankato
IS cents. 1t is manifestly wrong.
The matter was referred to the com
mittee on railroad freight rates with in
structions to bring these matters to the
attention of the state railroad and ware
house commission.
Mr. Hance was eloquent in his eulogies
of the Iowa freight rate laws and he
thought just such legislation ought to
be enacted by the law makers of Min
nesota. This subject was put in the
hands of the committee on laws, legis-
lation and taxes and the secretary was
instructed to write on behalf of the as
ISOLATION to Blue Earth county's state
legislators, urging that some such ae-
ton be taken.
| Aid .TorOensen thought il would be
well to bring such pressure to bear on
both houses of the legislature.
Nj. O. Sundt remarked that the dis
elimination in the matter of rates
against small cities and in favor of
large ones did not hit the big shippers
so much as the little fellows. The big
shippers were continually getting re-
bates, which tended to place them on a
par with the big fellows in the big
cities.
There was considerable discussion
over Mankato markets and what mea-
sures should be taken to improve them.
Prices paid here for butter, eggs and
horse feed are much better than in the
surrounding towns. An effort should be
made to place other lines of farm pro-
duce on the same superior level, and
bring the trade of the country people to
Mankato.