Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-09
INDEPENDENTS WILL TALK
Hot Afraid Of discriminating Themselves in
the Worrall Case,
INSIST THEY ARE DISSEMINATED AGAINST
Say they DO Not Get n Square Deal in
Matter of Car. and Find the Com
petition OF the Regulars TO BE
of Fiercest Kind.
INSIST THEY ARE Disseminated AGAINST
cFrom a star Correspondent

(From STAN correspondent
LINCOLN, July s.-(special. )-Represent-
atives of farmers grain shipping associa-
tons had the floor today in the taking Of
dispositions at Havelock in the damage suit
Of the worran Grain company against GER
tain members OF the State Association OF
Grain Dealers. There were no questions
asked that we're not answered through any
foar Of criminal prosecutions, and some Of
the testimony brought out will create
sensation among farmers who have not al
ready made similar calculations to those in
dulged in by tine witnesses who were sworn
today.
The frat witness OF the morning was
Henry Hempel who is the representative
of the Farmers Cooperative Shipping as
Bociation at Havelock. He testified that
the association has only a wagon dump and
a scoophouse on a switch of the Burling-
ton railway; that It was organized year
ago last January and that It has handled
about fifty cars of grain year for its
thirty-hve or forty members There are
two regular dealers in the place. James
Candy and Holland Bros, members of the
state association. The farmers association
loads by horsepower from the wagon
dump, or with shovel from the scoophouse.
Hempel declared that before the farmers
association began business when corn was
quoted at 441h cents at Kansas City, Have
lock dealers were Offering 2s and 30 cents,
the cost of handling and shipping being
about cents per bushel, leaving them a
margin of 10 cents above all cost. Since
then, while the prices have been very err
ratio, the dealers have only required an
average margin OF about cents. He told
of an incident that occurred when the as
sociation first started to show the effect
nf ffq n
living near Prairie Home, about seven miles
away, having been offered 30 cents for his
corn at home brought 1t TO Havelock. AS
he drove past the Office of Candy, the reg
ular dealer. he was offered 81 cents, but he
took IL to the Farmers Shipping association.
which shipped II for him so that he realized
a fraction over 81 cents bushel for it.
After the association was formed prices
fluctuated very much locally and the trend
OF prices was upward. Regular dealers
Bought to buy grain from farmer patrons
of the association after II had been loaded
into cars, and It was hard work to keep
the farmers in line Prices have fluctuated
ever since at that. point, and there has been
a strong tight at all times between the
regulars and the shipping association. The
latter does not buy grain. but simply ships
II to market. In many instances the regu-
lars have bought grain from farmers Sc
that they must have lost money on current
prices.
Trouble Getting Cars.
Witness testified that he had encountered
difficulty in getting cars and mentioned
specific instances. In one case he was
promised car in the morning. and about
twenty-five loads of grain were on hand
the farmers waited all day In the cold
swearing and impatient. until about
other case they were promised three cars
in the morning. Two came, and twenty
four-horse wagons were kept waiting fol-
the other until about p m. In another
instance a car of grain had been sold &c
the Omaha Hay and Grain company, but
no car was procurable at all and tbs
farmers had to sell to a local elevator. A.
that time the other dealers were getting
cars as needed.
Witness said he knew nothing about care
prices. His association received bids from
a number of dealers. They had never haC
any bids from any Of the regular deaIer
in this state. Their bids came from tn,
Omaha Hay and Grain company, the KEN
per company of Kansas City, the Redmond
company and the Farmers Co-operativ,
company, both also of Kansas City. Some
times they would sell their grain upon tn
track at Havelock on bids and sometimes
snip on consignment 10 Kansas city ant
take whatever they could get.
Fred Hall, manager Of a farmers ship
ping association at Prairie Home, on tn
Rock Island. testified that when the asso
citation was organized the grain bushes
lwas running smoothly at that point, blu
' Nthat things have been different since
? Asked 10 describe the situation prior to tn
Inauguration OF the association, he stated
why, the way 1t has turned out since
am quite certain that they took margi
all the way from TO cents on corn an
from to 10 cents on wheat"
by that you mean a margin over an
above the purchase price OF the grain. tn
expense Of handling 1t and the freigh
rates. do your
J Yes, sir"
He testified that the association had ex
perienced difficulty in securing cars an
that generally about that time the pric
OF grain offered by regular dealers woul
go up locally without any corresponding in