The Princeton union., 1906-11-29

unloading of grain," said Mr.. Hill.
Il think it is the best thing for rail
road to have its own terminal ele-
vators, unload into them and include
the charge for SO doing in the freight
rate. By our building Duluth ter
mlnal elevators we reduced to shipping
farmers the elevator charge there from
one cent to 4 cent a bushel. This
included unloading into the elevator,
a short storage and loading into boat
for shipment through the lakes. We
cleaned but did not mix the grain.'
did you make a charge for clean
ing?"
None: it should be remembered
that in cleaning the elevator gets the
screenings, which are worth SIS to Sc
a ton.''
Mr.. Hill thought the present legal
method of handling grain is wrong,
that the farmer is too much the victim
OF the speculator. He said every re-
ceiving elevator should devote itself
to simply that business; that the oper-
atlng in grain should be another
separate business and that the busi-
ness OF the gain mixer should be still
another separate business.
Mr.. Hill thought the building of
elevators of much greater capacity in
Minneapolis would not relieve con-
gestlon of grain traffic, but he did
think the action of the state grain
commission in sending inspectors as
far out as 100 miles to inspect grain
was good move in this direction.
He strongly criticised the state law
governing grain mixers. =.
"The grain mixer takes one car No.
e." he said, (which is thoroughly
clean, and mixes it with three cars No.
l and so far this is legalized busi-
ness.''
"Do you think the farmer is getting
what he should for his crop?".
IL don't think he is getting what he
should for some classes of grain. For
Instance, farmers are now raising a
lot of durum wheat. There is a good
deal of risk on what the foreign de-
mand will be and a market at home
for only a limited amount''
Mr.. Hill said that elevators are
continually treating the farmers un-
fair. "We have to watch the ele-
vators all the time,'' he said. ''This
work is done by the traffic department.,
but as matter of fact, the depart
ment is pretty powerless.''
Mr.. Hill told an interesting story as
to how he happened to build Buffalo
terminal elevators, the largest in the
world, costing 100000.
"Along our line and up to Buffalo
we were able to keep good track of
grain we shipped because it went
in our own cars and in ships manned
by our own crews and owned by US.
But in one single instance there was
reported to me shipload which, when
weighed at Buffalo, was $500 bushels
short. ~. -' .S.-,.. ..-s.: -.---
"And, we'll soon after that, we built
an elevator at Buffalo, -
"We had a complaint at Milwaukee, -
said one of the commissioners, "that
you often upset grain rates by changes
in rates on your road.'.
"That's an old complaint,' was the
reply. "We have always made a
lower rate on carrying grain than any
other road on the same meridian."
rs it advantageous rates on grain
that has built Minneapolis up into
such a great center as it is?'
'No, sir, it is the quality of -four
that has built up the great trade here
in milling wheat.''
"Mr. Hill, do you own any elevator
stock whatsoever?''
"No sir, I do not. I did once.
When Loren Fletcher and others some
years ago wanted to erect a 100000
bushel elevator I told them the need
was for one of a 100000 bushels
capacity. I agreed to take stock to
aid in this. When the elevator was
built and got to paying we'll, the orig
inal parties bought out my stock.
81 want to say right here that no
man in the employ of the Great
Northern road can own any stock in
anything along the line of the road.
Il he does he must leave my employ
even if he were my own son.''
Mr.. Hill made a plea for the better
legalizing of elevator receipts given
to farmers. He said they should be
negotiable and made as good as bank
drafts and that thus the farmers could
get free market.
I'D make the country elevator
establish relations with terminal ele-
vators," said Mr.. Hill. I'd have the
railroad business one thing and the