Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-23
GRAIN MEN PROTEST
Rival Boards of Trade Have
Their Troubles.
ELEVATOR HEARING STARTS
Dealer Tells I. C. c. That He Was
Blacklisted.
SHORT WEIGHT CHARGED
Said It Was Never Safe for Him to
Put Wheat Through Elevator
Controlled by Rivals.
ELEVATOR HEARING STARTS
CHARGED
WEIGHT
SHORT

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, October 23.-Both
Commissioners Clark and Lane were on
hand today when the Interstate commerce
grain hearing was resumed in the district
court. Twenty grain dealers. elevator men
and railway officials had been subpoenaed
to testify today. The commissioners will
tonight leave for Omaha. where the hear
ing will be taken up again.
B. r. Beall Of Kansas City, Of the Ma
tional Grain and Elevator Company. which
is affiliated with the national board Of
trade Of Kansas City, Il rival of the Kansas
City board Of trade, testified in effect that
farmers who dealt with the national board
and its members likewise were blacklisted
by the Kansas City board of trade. He
also stated that the rules Of the Kansas
City board of trade provided that any
member Of that organization dealing with
members of the national board Of trade
was liable to suspension.
Mr.. Beall said that his company in it's
existence had sold probably half a million
bushels of grain, none Of which he was able
to sell in Kansas City because of these re-
strictions Asked If his company had ex
perienced any trouble from the Kansas City
board of trade from any railroad in
moving it's grain outside of Kansas City.
Mr.. Beall said: Eyes. We experienced in
terruptions when we attempted an export
shipment of wheat at New Orleans through
the Illinois Central elevator in that city.
They placed an embargo of 51z cents a
bushel on our shipment for running the
wheat"
Mr. Beall had, he said, protested vigor-
ously to officials Of the Illinois Central rail-
road both at New Orleans and Chicago and
the charges were considerably reduced.
Called Elevator Crooked.
Continuing, Mr.. Beall said that their
grain on this particular shipment was all
short in weight in the elevator from LOCO to
1000 pounds to the car. He said he did not
consider it safe for his company to put it's
grain through any elevator operated by
persons interested in the Kansas City
board Of trade.
Mr. BealI said that he had been a member
Of the Kansas City board of trade up to a
year ago. He declared that in 1904 there
was a combination formed to agree upon
the price to be paid for wheat by members
of the Kansas City board of trade. He
named half a dozen leading local grain
firms and individual grain men, who, he
said, were members of this combination.
Among these. he said, was the Southwest
ern Grain Elevator, owned by Armour.
Mr.. Beall was asked If he knew Of any
Kansas City grain men ever having been
notified by the grain dealers associations
of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa or Nebraska
not to buy grain of irregular shippers, so
had been received up to within two or three
years ago.
Mr.. Beall explained that the nautical
board of trade had headquarters in Kan
sas City. 1t had twenty-five active men,
bers here and about 400 in other cities. It
had no exchange outside of Kansas City.
In reply to a direct question Mr.. Beall
declared that the members of the national
board of trade were blacklisted by the Chi
cago, Minneapolis and Kansas City boards
of trade, and that the Kansas City board
of trade interfered with all shipments of
grain belonging to the national that passed
through Kansas City The weight depart
ment of the Kansas City board. he said.
insisted upon weighing all the nationals
grain, claiming the right to weigh all grain
coming into Kansas City.
Mr.. Beall. in reply to question from
Commissioner Lane. named ten members
serted had refused to buy grain from his
company, giving excuse that they
feared expulsion from their board.