The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-03-20
Argentine's New System of
Handling the Wheat.
CROP BE SOLD AS REQUIRED
Three Hundred Persons Per Acre Is
Density Of Population In Chicago,
Windy City News.
Especial to The Free Press.1

ANGeS IHe grain exchange UHlS Week
inaugurated "a system modelled after
that of the United States, including
the buying and selling of grain and
seeds for future delivery, promises
greater stability in the worlds mar
kets. This new departure has the
sanction of the government, merchants
shippers and producers, all evidently
believing it essential to the best in
terests of that growing country. What
that country most needs now is eeva-
tor and storage capacity, something
very likely to follow the enlargement
of her exchange dealings from a really
cash to a future market. The sudden
outpouring of her enormous crop, be-
ginning early in January smashing
prices suddenly the world over, was
due to her inability to store the grain
and sell it for future delivery. She
was absolutely forced to sell because
of. the lack of these two essentials
The crop will hereafter be more large
ly sold as required, for immediate OF
future delivery, which will put an end
to annual bargain prices" offered in
European markets by Argentine be-
cause of an inability to hold back
what was not Immediately needed by
consuming countries The strides Ar
gentine has made in ten years in
wheat production makes this change in
far-away South America important to
every wheat farmer and miller in the
United States. Only breaking down
of the future delivery system of the
| United States could affect them more
directly. BY the present American
system much of the crop of 1907 was
sold at good prices for spot and future
delivery before Argentine's big ship
ments caused the slump. This put
many extra millions in farmers bank
accounts throughout the United States
and it could not have occurred had
not selling for future as well as spot
delivery been possible.
Three Hundred Persons Per Acre.
Three hundred persons per acre is
the density of population in Chicago's
most thickly settled ward, according
to figures just complied by the city
statistician. No allowance in this is
made for streets, so that in reality the
ratio is much higher. Other novel
facts are brought out by the figures
One ward alone, the twelfth, has a
population of 10000, or enough to put
it well up on the list of the first
fifty cities in the country. The seventh
ward scores another big total, on ac-
count of the University of Chicago
which is within its boundaries. The
total population of Chicago for 1908
is put at 2,54O,OOO, although this is
probably an overestimate. Chicago has
definitely passed Berlin in population
however, and America can now claim
two out of the largest four cities in
the world. The influx of foreign immi-
grants has continued undated during
the past year. Over 10000 Germans
now reside in this city, and accord
ing to the latest figures half the Bo-
hemian population of the United
States is contained within its bound
aries.
M. O. Is Investigated.
Municipal ownership has at last be-
come subject of investigation by the
United States government. A general
ukase has been issued to this coun-
try's consular agents in Europe and
elsewhere, instructing them to report
on the conduct of public utilities in
the cities where they are stationed.
The first of the reports have already
begun to come in and the conditions
they disclose are interesting in the
extreme. In Germany, for example
municipalities are generally allowed to
engage in almost any business which
the council may regard as for the
public welfare. Some of them operate
mines and factories, while municipal
bakeries and butcher shops are of COM
mon occurrence. In Belgium there are
no state laws governing municipal
corporations. The city of Brussels
alone has nine separate municipalities.
which are autonomous and have the
right to grant franchises within their
respective limits. The telephone service
is operated entirely by the govern
ment, however, as will shortly be the
case in England in regard to the
long distance lines The principal fea-
ture about the growth of municipal
trading" in the latter country appears
to be the general alarm at the enor-
nous increase in municipal indebted
ness. The reverse is the case in Sax
ony, where the gas plants operated by
the cities of Leipsig, Dresden and
Chemitz have proved SO profitable that
the German public is clamoring for a
reduction in rates. These gas plants
were started over seventy years ago
and are among the earliest municipal
ventures of this kind in the world
Blame Hetty Green.
The shooting of brace of wild