Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-17
EIgin Board of Trade De-
cides to Discontinue
Quotation Committee.
FAIRNESS AS TO PRICES
Old System Is Broken Up at a
Meeting in Which Fac
tiOnS Clash.

Chicago, Dec. 17-Butter men who
attended the annual meeting Of the FL
gin board of trade at which the quota
tions committee was legislated ont of
existence, declared today that butter
the next three months would be cheap
er than a year ago. In Chicago today
butter and eggs remained stationary.
Elgin, H.. Dec. lin the most ex-
citing annual meeting in its history, the
Elgin board of trade yesterday after
noon abolished the practice of II years
standing of arbitrarily fixing the price
Of butter by its quotation commit ee
and adopted plan to have the board
itself determine Ihe price of the prod
uct in the future based on actual sales.
! The action caTe as a result of the
suit recently filed by the federal gov
ernment for the dissolution of the board
In its bill the government men Toned
the quotation committee as one of the
means used by the alleged butter
( trust" in con nrolling the price of the
product
The reorganization of the board and
the amendment of its rules was the cul-
mination of a bitter fight for control
of the organization waged for many
! years between the commission or sell
ing interests and the producers.
IMPORTANT CHANGES.
Led by James p Younger of Chica-
tgo, the scemmfss10hr men eiected->g'
board Of five directors. abolished the
I quotation committee and made a num-
Der Of other important changes in the
organizations business methods.
Defeated at every turn, the produc-
ers' faction, under the leadership of
Joseph Newman, left the hall before
the reorganization program had been
put through and threatened to organize
rival board in the near future.
The other changes in the rules adop-
} ted provide for the lowering of the
quality standard of butter to score 80
points in summer months and 80 points
in winter. The presen- requirement is
SO points in the test throughout the
year. Another change requires that all
butter must be cold the week in which
it is made and that all prices are to be
made from either Elgin or Chicago, in
stead of from the shipping point
Several department of justice agents
. attended the meeting and took notes of
the proceedings.
, At the beginning of the meeting Pres
iden. c. H. Potter remarked that it
, would be impossible to read the min
utes of the last annual session for We
? reason that the government had seized
. the books of the organization and had
: failed to return them.
PRODUCERS OPPOSE.
The producers faction vigorously op-
posed the action Of the commission men
at every step in the program. They
; objected to the voting of proxies on
motions to suspend the rules, called the
, proceedings Illegal and made numerous
attempts to force an adjournment, but
: President Potter ruled against them in
: every instance.
The following directors favorable to
2 the commission men faction were
| elected:
L Charles H. Potter, Elgin; Fred G
Johnson, Wisconsin; ]. P. Mason, Ell
gin; E. c. Hawley, Ringwood, ILL.,; F
R. Moles, Chicago.
; Despite the shouts of the producers,
the commission men suspended the
: rules by vote of 162 to 101, and pro
5 ceeded to amend the rules In accord
! ance with the plan of reorganization
5 Before a roll call was held on the
y changes in the rules, Joseph Newman
[ rose and after declaring that the pro
e ceedings were illegal, left the meeting
I followed by a score Of supporters.
: Most Of the voting was done by proxy
l. the leader of each faction having beer
+" busy for a week getting member
, pledged on the question. The newl!
e elected directors will meet next Mon
day and elect officers. President c. II
Potter is slated for reelection: