The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-10-02
CENTRALIzER
TRIES CORNER
STATE DAIRY COMMISSIONER
ISSUES a STATEMENT.
WANT BUTTER MARKET
One Concern is Trying TO Get In, and
state official Issues 4 Note Of Warn
ing to hte Sellers Of Cream to stand
by Their Local creameries.

Just at the present time the farmers
are having an experience with cream
eries-particularly Of the trust char
acter.
One concern has entered the field
with the avowed purpose Of controlling
Vie markets in which the creameries
Of Billings and other eastern Montana
points find a market for their butter,
and State Dairy Commissioner Elliott
has issues a letter Of warning 20 the
farmers.
This concern has established a cen
trailer" and In order to wean the
farmer away from the local concerns
is Offering from / to Q cents per pound
more for butter fat than others. OF
course the express rate for the longer
distance, as between Butte and Bill
ings, for example, more than offsets
the difference in price which it is pro-
posed to pay.
The new concern, in seeking to get
a corner on the butter market, has
notified the creameries Of Billings and
other points, 1t is said, to keep ou: Of
Butte, Great Falls and Helena, and as
those towns have always been mar
kets for butter from this section, the
eastern Montana creameries generally,
and the one of Billings in particular,
will continue to sell there, and no
amount Of opposition or competition
can prevent 1t.
1.-The local creameries do not intend
to be dictated to-" said l. D. O'Donnen,
president Of the Billings Creamery
company, in discussing the matter yes
terday, "by any outside concern. The
Billings creamery will continue to sell
butter in Butte, and will meet all
prices"
With regard to the concern that is
trying to control the butter market at
the expense OF the farmer, who must
in any event pay the total cost. Dairy
Commissioner Elliott has issued the
following statement:
Montana creamerymen Beware!
I'VE have received some informa-
tioa from one of the creameries that
prompts US to advise all OF the CO
operative creameries in the state to
beware II they wish to keep their local
creameries In existence.
"A certain firm IN this state that is
attempting to run a c~entralizer wenI
into q certain neighDorhood, where q
creamery was located, and contracted
to buy the entire output from the
creamery for IS cents per pound. This
same firm, after that contract had
been signed, goes into this same neigh
borhood and buys up cream at %
cents per pound for butter fat.
I'VE would like to know how long
a local creamery will survive treat
nent of that kind. We think 1t a fool
ish plan for our Montana creameries
to contract to sell their butter for a
certain number OF years ahead, espe.
cially when there is danger Of run
ming into q proposition as cited above.
Better sell your own products In the
market than have a concern come In
and close up your creameries.
"a creamery running in your neigh
borhood is certainly better and will
increase the value Of the land very
much more than will a creamery
located in any n OF the big cen.ers
Of the state. Our advice is: Stay by
the local creamery, no matter what
price any concern may offer for the
butter fat, il that butter fat is to be
shipped away to another creamery.
again, there is another point that
needs the serious consideration Of
every man who ships cream away
from the local creamery, and that Is
this: If a comes IN and offers
you Q money for the butter fat
than butter is selling for on the mar
ket. you may have a just suspicion
that there is something wrong II the
price paid for butter rat is very large
you should be careful that you are get
ting just weight, and also the right
test for your cream
"s,tay by the local creamery.
I"(signed) w. il ELLIOTT.
"Dairyman."
Commissioner Elliott also warns the
farmers against purchasing stock in
separator concerns that promise from
80 to so per cent interest on the in
vestment, as a number Of them have
had an opportunity to do within the