Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-02

! Omaha as a milling center" Is an eX-
| preston which may. not mean much to
| some people just at present since the
| city has but one flour mill Of 400 barrels
capacity, and that not running, but II
may mean much IN the future, not far
| distant. Men OF business experience who
have watched the growth OF Omaha as a
grain market since the establishment Of
the Grain exchange, three years ago, say
Omaha has now the opportunity to secure
! for itself a great milling trade.
/ A few years ago freight rates and other
| conditions were against the establish
ment of mills in the city; now many OF
! the discriminating rates have been re-
moved and other conditions have ad-
| justed themselves. What rate discTimina-
tions remain It is expected the Interstate
! Commerce commission viii remedy soon.
The market is here; the railroad facilities
are here the wheat is In the state; it only
remains for capital TO invest.
Nebraska raised 450OO,O00 bushels OF
wheat in 1906; in 1905 the state raised
! $4,000, 900 bushels. 1t is not all milled
in Nebraska by any means.
Mills I'm the state.
There are 23O mills in the state, with
a capacity of 17725 barrels daily. AS
sumlng that they run twenty-four hours
| a day and 900 days in the year, which
they have not done this year. they would
/ turn out in the course OF twelve months
4.24s, 500 barrels of nour. AS It Is esti-
mated that four and one-half bushels Of
! wheat are required to make one barrel OF
! -four, this possible output would take
! care of 1s,1S2.75O bushels of wheat, or
about half the crop of comparatively
poor year.
What does the state do with this SO or
| 75 per cent of it's crop each year? Why,
it ships it to Minneapolis, st. Louis.
southern cities, England and Belgium,
where It is ground into flour.
why not grind It in Omaha? Well, that
is a problem now before the business
men of Omaha, and 1t has become the
self-imposed duty of the Grain exchange
| TO see that capital shall become inter-
ested in the milling business in the city.
now that conditions are favorable TO the
success of mills.
Outside Men Are InduirinG.
Within the last few months eastern and
northern men have begun to inquire into
the local situation and some of them are
now making Investigations which may
| lead to investment. Fred Fear of New
York is in the city for the purpose OF
looking over the ground, and, though he
expects to start an oatmeal and cornmeal
4 mill, his interest is encouraging TO those
! who want to see Omaha a flour market.
Large Minneapolis and Chicago interests
] which investigated Omaha a few years
ago and decided not to locate on account
Of the unfavorable rate situation may
now be induced TO consider the city again.
Prior to 1904 the railroads did not recog-
nize Omaha as on the map Of the grain
world They took grain from the interior
of the state TO Chicago, Minneapolis, Kan
sas City and other places at rate which
forbade its stopping in Omaha. In 1894
the Great Western having obtained large
terminals in Omaha and becoming inter-
ested in making the city shipping point.
! started a fight which resulted in fixing
a rate from Nebraska towns to eastern
points equal TO the sum OF the locals from
those towns TO Omaha, plus the rate from
Omaha to the eastern points. Nebraska
then was given as great inducement to
sell it's grain at Omaha as at other mar
kets, provided. OF course. other markets
did not enjoy lower outbound rates.
Fight Against DETERMINATIONS.
Determinations against Omaha have ex-
listed and It has been 9he chief aim of the
Grain exchange TO have them abolished.
/
ceeded and It is the hope Of the officers
that as soon az the new railroad rates
gets into good working order all unfair
rates will be done away with.
! Omaha boasts an elevator system with
capacity Of over 100000 bushels, most OF #
built up since the opening OF the Grain
exchange. 1t has found new market for
wheat in the way OF export trade Via the
gulf, and in order to compete with the
gulf roads the eastern roads have reduced
their rates, making it easier for Omaha
to dispose Of wheat at the Atlantic sea-
board. From 100000 bushels in 1904,
Omaha's total grain receipts ran up to
100000 bushels in 1906 and 1906 probably
will end with a showing OF between 100000
and 100000 bushels.
Since -four takes the same rate as wheat
there would have been no more trouble IN
disposing of the flour than there was in
getting rid Of the wheat which came 70
Omaha this year.
Nebraska wheat First Class,
At present Omaha ships much wheat TO
Minneapolis TO be milled; on some weeks
as high as 10000 bushels is sent The
Minneapolis people are fond OF saying that
Omaha can't have mills because Nebraska
wheat is not ht for hour, but the knockers
themselves use II right along, year after
year, mixing It with their spring wheat.
and this emphatically disproves their
charge. As a matter Of fact, experienced
Nebraska millers say the wheat OF the
state affords the finest -four that can be
made. II some fnicky person wants TO mix
spring wheat with his winter wheat the
state elso raises some good spring wheat;
II he must have northern spring wheat he
ought TO know that rates from South Da-
kota to Omaha have been recently adjusted,
50 that II he started a mill In Omaha he
could get spring wheat from Dakota II he
desired.
The uninitated are at a loss to know
why there should be 25O mills in Nebraska
and only one In Omaha To begin WITH
the large majority Of these mills are only
large enough TO furnish -four for local con-
sumption. OF the 177Z5 barrels daily ca
paclty, l.5O0 barrels Is In 5O-barre mills.
2, 80 barrels Is In 75-barrel mills. 2, 100 barrels
IN lO0-baTrel mills l.40O barrels in Is. 20. 70