Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-08-08
BADGER BUTTER PRODUCERS cP-
POSE LOW RATES ON CREAM.
WISCONSlN'S REPUTATION
Must Be Maintained Against the Mo-
nopolist'c Aggression of the Chi
cago CentraIizing Concerns-Have
Organized and Will Send Commit
tee Before Commerce Commission.

Commerce Commission, Washington.
D. c.
Whereas, 1t has come to our no
tice that the so-called centraliZing
companies located in Chicago, viz:
the Beatrice Creamery Co. and the
Blue valley Creamery Co. have pc
uuOned your honorable body TO main
tain the low rates heretofore enjoyed
by them for the transportation of
cream, alleging in their complaint
that the railroads have entered into a
conspiracy in restraint of trade, and
whereas we, the representatives OIL
the dairy industry of the state of Wis
consin. the leading dairy state affect
ed by the maintenance of such low
rates, with its 5000 cfeameries,
cheese factories and Swimming sta
tons, with 100000 invested in ma
chinery and buildings, with $4,000
patrons milking $4,000 COWS, con
tributing 3,166, 100000 pounds of milk
annually with a revenue Of more than
$57,000,000, believing, as we do, that
|! these rates in question are now en-
tirely too low, and in our judgment
tend to concentrate the industry i'll
=, the hands of the few to the deUrimenJ
Of the many, and
Whereas, The so-called distance
tariff is employed in computing
rates on cream locally and the rates
enjoyed by these Chicago companies
is in its very nature monopolistic and
destructive Of the best interests OF
the producer, we, the representatives
OF the dairy industry of Wisconsin
respectfully petition your honorable
body to disregard the petition of the
said Chicago companies and main
tain the distance tariffs on cream"
1t is not often that Wisconsin
farmers and dairymen ask for the
maintenance of higher freight rates yet
! such is the present situation, and not
only do they ask that the rates be
maintained but they propose to send
a committee TO Washington to ap-
pear before the interstate commerce
commission in that behalf. The
above is the wording Of a formal
petition that is being circulated
among the dairymen and creamery
men Of the state, receiving thousands
OF signatures to be presented by d
committee soon to visit the national
capital for that purpose.
| AT meeting OF dairymen and
creamerymen at WatertoWn recently
a state organization known as the
NTiCan11cir, D1i, ,F,.c
! Milk Producers Protective Assocfa-
ton was perfected with the following
! officers:
President-F. A. Seeber of Water
| loo.
! Vice president-W. A. Roach, of
| Reedsburg.
Treasurer-H. W. Barge, of Reeds
burg.
Secretary-J. G. Moore, of Madison.
The purposes of the association are
| numerous but the particular present
object is to combat the efforts of the
! Chicago centralizers to monopolize
the creamery and butter business
through discriminating freight rates
on cream. The Chicago concerns have
petitiOned the interstate commerce
commission to maintain the low rate
for the transportation of cream, al
leging that the recent increase in
rate is due TO a railroad conspiracy,
in restraint of trade. The Wisconsin
dairymen ask that the rate be kept
! uniformly high to prevent a con
j centration of the industry in the
hands of few at the cost of the
many
) Former Governor w. D. Hoard and
/ Dairy and Food Commissioner Emery
| are among the men of the "WiscOl-
| sin Dairy Manufacturers and Milk
| Producers association" which have
just been chosen to fight the mat
ter out before the interstate commerce
commission. Petitions are now be-
ing circulated among the farmers in
this vicinity, and in other. sections
Of the state, to be presented to the
commission. A fee of S. a creamery
is to be levied to secure a fund to
combat the alleged Chicago MONOPOLY
/ Will Go to Washington.
/ The organization has named the
following persons to go to Washing
ton and represent the new associa-
ton before the Interstate commerce
| commission: w. d. Hoard, Fort At
kinson; J. Q Emery, dairy and food
commissioner, Madison; F. A. See5er,
Waterloo; E. y. Dodge, president Of
the state buttermakers' association
of Lake Mills and ]. G. Moore of Mad
ison. A hearing has been asked for
and as soon as word has been re-
ceived, setting a time, the committee
will proceed to the national capitol
to present their case.
The Chicago Burlington and Quincy
railway in its answer to the com
plant of the Chicago centralizing
companies before the interstate com
merce commission ayers that those
corporations are monopoly in re-
straint of trade in violation Of the
! Sherman antitrust law. But however
this may be Wisconsin dairymen viii
fight for the good name of the badger
state as a producer of high grade
butter and will oppose the tncroach-
ments Of the Chicago concerns in
their efforts to control the dairy bust
ness nv methods that not ONLY are m