Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-10-27
DEALERS DEPLORE
TRADE CONDITIONS
SAID AT INVESTIGATION THAT
IOWA GRAIN COMBINATION
IS NUTS OUT INDEPENDENTS
,S w
Charged With Compelling Firms to
Boycott-F. M. Terry of Little Sioux
Declares That Farmers and "shov-
eiers" Are on the List.

Omdna, NED, oct. 25.-Ihe nearing
on grain trading conditions before In
terstate Commerce Commissioners
Clark and Lane was resumed today
e. Peck, an Omaha grain dealer, told
of the methods of arranging prices a
year or two ago during the life Of the
Nebraska Grain Dealers association,
but said that no agreement of that
kind now exists He says he regarded
shovel houses as unfair competition,
and used all means to drive them out
of business.
G. G. Crittenden of the Central Grain
company, Lincoln. Neb said his COM
pany operated elevators on the Bur
| lington line. They received from that
road an allowance of ] Ac a hundred
pounds to cover elevation charges un-
til last summer, when 1t was discon-
tinued. He knew of no Shovel houses"
in his territory.
f. M. Terry. general merchant Of
Little Sioux. Iowa, who operates a
Shovel house" said he was formerly
Disseminated against by the North
western railway. For the last two
years he has no reason for complaint.
| Valley, Iowa, he said refuses to buy
/
4 Uplike Grain company of Omaha
would not sell them grain if they did,
and would bid up the price SO that
they could not buy from farmers. Mill
ers at Marshalltown, Iowa, also re-
fuse to buy his grain, he said, because
he had no elevator and was not a
member OF the Iowa Grain Dealers as
sociation, some time ago, from which
he learned that the association fixes
prices paid for grain and provides for
pooling by it's members.
Raised Price Of Grain.
D. j. Gates of Albion, Neb., an
officer of the Albion Elevator com
pany farmers organization, said
\ that his company in the three years
i 1T had been operating, had caused an
Il increase Of cents in the price paid
II for grain and still does business at a
4 profit. The penalty clause has been
abolished from the company's bylaws
| At first he had much trouble in sell
ing grain.
4 Letters were introduced from grain
\ buyers in Denver, Colo, Colorado
Springs and other points to show that
the Nebraska Grain Dealers associa.
tion objected to his company handling
lumber and one from the Union Pacific
Coal company refusing to quote whole
sale prices on COAL Latterly he had
had no trouble in the grain business
His company ships by the Union Paci
fic company. At first it was refused
an elevator site and was called by q
Union Pacific official a Matchmaking
business destroying concern.
. b. D. Hunterly, now grain dealer
of Omaha, but formerly of Salix, la.
said that up to 1905, when he left
, there, the dealers in Salix had a price
} agreement and a grain pool, each deal
er paying one cent a bushel into the
pool for all grain bought over his
, share.
tscoop shoveIer's" Troubles.
S. M. McMurray, scoop shoveler'
, at Wood River and Shelton, Neb., sait
; he was formerly manager of the
: Omaha Elevator Company's elevator
; at Wood River The company also
owned and operated another elevator
there under the name of the Conrad
Grain company The two elevators
were supposed to be competitors. He
!, had trouble with the manager of the
1 other elevator and resigned and start
:, ed a Shovel house" The price O
I wheat was raised cents and of corr
and oats cents a bushel at once. He
: had been unable to get site for al
5 elevator from the Union Pacific com
I pany, the officials giving as areaso1
$ that "the elevators were forcing thei
hands" Mr.. McMurray said that not
withstanding the antipathy agains
scoop shovelers," it was fact tina
most Of the big elevators began tina
: way.
When the commission adjourned /,
large number of witnesses from vari
: GUS parts of the state were present t
;, testify. The commissioners will begil
: a hearing at Des Moines, Iowa, today
URRANA GIRLS AFTER EDITOR.