Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-18
GRAIN MEN IN CONFERENCE
Annual Meeting Of Farmers Cooperative
Grain and Elevator Association.
wArrLts TALKS or The OMAHA MARKET
Has Added Two Cents Per Bushel to
the Farm value of All the Grain
Produced In the state of
Nebraska.
(From a STAFF Correspondent

! The Farmers Cooperative Grain and Ele
vator association began its meeting here
this afternoon and was addressed tonight
/ by Gurdon W. Wattles Of Omaha and
! Thomas A Anderson of Kansas City This
afternoon James T. Brady gave history
! II the work of the association. Mr. Ander-
/ son spoke on the evils affecting the CO.
operative exchange The principal address
was by Mr. Wattles who talked on the
Omaha Grain exchange. He Said in part:
When the proposition was made 10 estab-
! fish Il home market for the grain produced
| in Nebraska, 1t met with my most earnest
| support In its establishment saw the
/ opportunity to increase the value of the
grain produced in Nebraska, and incident
ally to increase the commerce OF the city
! in which ! live. II was the firm purpose
the recognition of this market by the trans
/ portation companies and to get readlust-
/ ment of railroad rates on grain throughout
| the state so that shipments to Omaha and
| from Omaha on to other markets could pc
made for the same tariff as the thf0ugh
rate from place of origin to those markets.
We demanded that the sum OF the TWO
! locals should not exceed the through rate
| This demand was refused by those roaus
which had lines running to the east and
/ west of Omaha, but on May 10. 1904, rates
! were adjusted by all roads entering Omaha
! in accordance with our demands. Briefly
! stated, local rates on wheat from Omaha 10
! Chicago were reduced from u cents 10 IL
/ cents per hundred and the proportional
1
| local rates on corn We're reduced from Is
| cents to Ii cents per hundred, and the pro-
! portional from IL cents to u cents per nun
| dred. similar reduction was mace on
! other grains to Chicago and on all grams
| to other markets. At the same time local
| rates from points tributary TO Omaha were
| reduced from 2OS stations and through rates
| from us stations. ] am safe in saying that
| the advantages in railroad rates alone, Sc
| cured by the Omaha Grain exchange, nave
during the last two years been equal to ?
cents per busher on all the grain shipped
| from Nebraska
value of Elevators.
! But this has not been the only advantage
| of this exchange to the state. No less than
ten terminal elevators have been Dullt or
vators range from 1OOO,OO bushels down to
$4,000 bushels capacity The present
! storage capacity of our terminal ELEVATORS
| is about 5,O00000 bushels, and this VIII soon
| be Increased by the Nye-Schneider ele-
vator with 1OOO,Ol0 bushels capacity. The
! storage of large quantities of Nebraska
grain near at home makes it possible to
/ sell to exporters or large consumers to
better advantage than before we had a
purchasers came west Of Chicago for grain.
Since the Omaha Grain exchange was
started many such purchases have been
made from our grain merchants and rates
direct from Omaha to Liverpool and other
foreign markets have been secured. In
! some cases these rates have been very
, advantageous to our market.
According to the government reports. is
sued by the Department of Agriculture the
| of Nebraska for 1903 was 2s cents per
bushel, winter and spring wheat "a cents
with those in Kansas. state similarly sit
uated. and we find that the farm value of
corn for that year In Kansas was 3e cents,
| spring wheat 50 cents, or 5 cents over Ne
braska oats 30 cents, or cents over Ne
6raska;; For ,.o some years previous to 1919
braska in favor of Kansas Compared with
other western states, we find the Nebraska
| producers did not receive, up to and in
Guiding 1908, as much for their grain by
several cents per bushel as the producers
of other states, even after making a lib
eral allowance for distance from Chicago
and eastern markets. Kansas has had a
homo market at Kansas City for several
years. Since the Omaha market was estab-
lished the discrepancy in the farm value
of corn has almost disappeared. so that by
the government report for 1905, just printed,
we find that the farm value of corn in
Nebraska for this year was only cent per
bushel less than in Kansas. This only
amounts to about the difference in the cost
Of transportation TO the gulf ports While
the discrepancy against Nebraska i'm the
farm value OF wheat and oats still exists.
1t may be explained by the superior quality
OF these cereals last year in Kansas.
Adds TO Farm Values.
II it be true, as indicated by the govern
ment reports. that the Omaha Grain ex-
change has Increased the farm value of
corn in Nebraska by cents per husheI. we
can place to the credit of that institution
, the enormous sum of slS,6O000O gained for
alone. 1t cannot be denied that the Omaha
Grain exchange has added at least 2 cents
per hushei to all the grain produced in Ne
portation to eastern and foreign markets
/ and by establishing better gradng and
opening better markets. This saving to
the farmers of this state amounts to 81, 5OO,-
600 per annum on full crop. Even this
has justified the existence Of the Omaha
market. Two cents per hushel adds 81 Der
! acre to the income of land which will pro
duce fifty bushels of corn to the acre. Ono
dollar per acre additional income is ) per
cent on $50 per acre additional value. The
claim therefore is not unreasonable that
) the Omaha Grain exchange has been one
OF the important Influences which has
caused the enormous increase of the values
\ of our farm lands in this state during the
last two years.
! When hear Of projects to establish other
J markets in Nebraska, | am reminded of the
! advice given by father to his seven SONS
a He bound together number Of sticks anC
y offered a reward to the one who would
y break them. They all tried and failed blu
q one by one with ease: There are those il
: Nebraska. who would be glad to see numer
= Gus grain markets established in order t
q dissipate the central force of our powerful
organization but those who favor this plaI
are not working in the producers interests
II matters little to the men who earn thei
! work In the fields and who are the hon
, and sinew of all our greatness, where the!
| sell the results of their toll. 1t matter
much TO them and to us all that they sinai
| receive the highest possible reward 70
their laDor6. one great live STOCK marke
in our state has been Of inestimable value
One great grain market will be OF equa
benefit
Entitled to square Deal.
On the shield of Nebraska is emblazone,
the motto, Equality before the law
This motto has been condensed by our abb
and fearless president into three words
which all westerners understand, "A squar
deal" No citizen has right TO eXpec
more, no one can afford 10 accept less.
in the past the producers of Nebraska hav
been deprived of a part OF the results @
their toll by unlawful combinations, forme
to prevent fair competition for their prod
ucts, such combinations should be foreve
ended by all the lawful forces at our com
mand. If we have not sufficient laws o
our statute books To insure every Pre-
Queer OF this state "a square deal in tn
marketing of his products, such law
should be speedily enacted. Every youn
man. whether he lives on the farm or
the city. must have an equal chance wit
his fellows in the battle of life. This
the principle for which our forefa theI
fought: against II no combination nor COZ
poration can successfully contend. Til
T. railroads of this state must he compelled
grant the same rights and the same rate
10 the small shipper as 10 the large, Secrt
rebates, which destroy the weak and II
crease the strong, cannot be justified eth,
). in law or morals and must be stoppe,
- The right 70 engage in the grain trade an
= IL