Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-20

of elevators is rapidly increasing It has
doubled within the past five years. and
new buildings are going up every day. All
these elevators are under government SUI
pervision. Each has license and 1t Is
inspected regularly by the warehouse COM
missioner. Every bit of grain which Is
sold in Canada has to pass through such
inspection 1t must be weighed under the
government weighmaster, and all grain
put into vessels has to be passed upon by
the government This is to maintain the
high standard Of western Canadian wheat.
These elevator companies Will hold the
farmers wheat and sell it as he orders, or
they will agree to handle it on commission
and get what they think is the highest
price. If the wheat is shipped on the train
the railroads will charge in the neighbor-
hood of % cents for hauling a hundred
pounds 1000 miles, and it can be taken
down the great lakes by water a thousand
miles farther for about CENTS per bushel.
High Charges.
The elevator companies are much critl-
cised by the farmers, swho claim that they
delay the shipment of wheat in order to
increase storage charges. The wheat be-
gins to come to the elevators about the
1st of September, and the elevators are
pretty well filed up by the middle or lat
ter part of October AS the season goes on
they charge a margin of a few cents a
bushel to cover the risk of possible nom
shipment down the lakes, and this margin
Is sometimes increased to 10 cents a
bushel II the wheat has to be held over
1t actually costs between and cents 10
keep bushel of wheat in the elevator from
winter to the opening of navigation on the
great lakes.
Canada's Big Flour Business.
Many of the country elevators are owned
by the milling companies. They are used
for receiving, cleaning and shipping the
grain, and also for storing it over winter.
Winnipeg is the chief milling center for
the northwest. although there are other
mills now building throughout the wheat
belt, and large mills have been con-
structed in the Rainy river country, 1870
miles east of Winnipeg. One of these mills
has a capacity of 5000 barrels of flour per
day, and it is now shipping it's product to
Great Britain, Australia, South Africa and
Japan, as well as to all parts of Canada.
The Ogilvie Milling Company has an estab-
lishment at Winnipeg which grinds 1900
barrels of flour a day, and altogether there
are mills here which are turning out soma-
thing like 14,000 barrels of flour every
twenty-four hours. All of these mills are
making money. Canada has tariff which
keeps out American flour, and its home
consumption requires about 10000, 900 BUSH
els Of wheat per annum. The exports
amount to two or three million barrels
yearly.
Within the past twelve months -four mills
have been constructed in the west not far
from the foothills of the Rockies to grind
winter wheat for the Asiatic trade. There
are mills at Calgary which will soon be
producing 1000 barrels per day, and others
will be constructed as the area of winter
wheat increases. Winter wheat flour is
especially desired by the Japanese, and
the region where 1t is being raised lies
within about | GOO miles Of the Pacific
coast.
Canada Don't Want American Flour.
The Canadians don't want American
flour, and I find some of them object to
our taking the Canadian wheat and manu-
featuring it in bond I met at Montreal
Mr. Robert Meighen, president of the Lake
of the Woods Milling Company, which has
some of the largest mills in Canada, and
talked with him to reciprocity. Said he:
Il am opposed to having our wheat 20
into the United States to be ground for
shipment abroad. 1 believe in high duties
on American flour and would make You
Americans come to Canada and build mills
if you want to manufacture our wheat"
But, Mr.. Meighen,' said, l. would not
Canada profit by reciprocity with Uncle
Sam?"
NO" was the reply. I'VE would rather
have commercial war with the United
Sam would build trade wall ninety-nine
feet high across his northern boundary
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 1t would
suit us down to the ground. We believe
it is best for the North American continent
and for the world that we should be op-
posed to each other, far as trade is
CONCERNED. We want a protective tariff
high enough to force your people to es-
tablish branch factories here and make
with Canadian labor such goods as we
use. That is what is going on now and
what will be done more and more In the
future"
England and Protection.
''Your ideas are different from those Of
your mother country. Mr.. Meighen?" said
l. ''She is for free trade
That was so in the past" replied the
Canadian miller. "but it is not so now
The English are beginning to understand
the situation. and they will soon retaliate
against the United States agricultural i'm
ports in such way as to force Uncle Sam
to his knees. Our colonies are rapidly in
ereasfng In the production of bread stuffs.
They furnished Great Britain one-third of
her supply last year. and we have now
enough wbeat land to furnish the mother
country. and still flood the markets of the
world. We are giving England preferen-
tial tariff. and the day viii come when
she Will give us preferential duty
on our wheat and -four. When that oc-
ours there viii be a howl from your
grain farmers which will reach Washing
ton Your Congress VIII then revise the
tariff, and you will cut your duties to the
bone. That Is one of the certainties OF
a. <.t&. % Z rsr-,r, .