Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1913-01-31
SELLING STOCK.
Harvester Concern Wants
Farmers to Invest.

representative of the Independent |
Harvester Co., of Plano, ILL.,, is in
this county seeking to interest the
farmers in the purchase of stock in
his concern.
To what extent the stock offered for
sale is business proposition. the
writer is unable to state, altho it is
very seldom that mer:torious busi-
ness proposition has to look for its
money in $1O0 lots. Anyone with
$100 to invest in "stock" would get
much more out of it by investing it
in the "stock" that has horns and
hoofs and says "moo' rather than
in the kind that has horns only and
says "stung. -
There is no reason for a Minnesota
farmer promoting an independent
harvester company because the Mime
sofa prison plant will soon be in shape
to be regulator of prices. If the
Independent company is for the pur-
pose of crippling the prison plant,
there is all the more reason for the
Minnesota farmer leaving it alone.
The writer knows very little about
this company, but the following which
appeared in the Des Moines Register
and Leader, one of the leading papers
of Iowa. may be of interest -
Webster City, Ia, Dec. 26.
Special: The committee named by
Iowa stockholders in the Independent
Harvester company of Plano. ILL.,. to
| investigate the financial condition of
that concern, have returned home.
Their report, however, is anything
Lut encouraging and stockholders in
the Hamilton county and elsewhere
over the state-of whom there are
hundreds are sorely disappointed.
''The Iowa committee was composed
of A. L. Middleton and E. NJ. Thebiay
of Eagle Grove. Their investigation
was made in conjunction with COM
mittees from the Dakotas. Illinois
and Minnesota. The committee re-
ports that the answers of the company
officers to pertinent questions "were
ldilatnrY. incomplete and evasiye. =
There were twenty Representatives
Eof the Stockholders present at the
Investigation. On the. day when these
linen were to meet W. G. Thompson,
Ipresident Of the company, this official
failed to show up. though he had an
agreement with the committee. The
following day the committee attempted
again to meet him and Mr.. Thompson
fatty refused to meet them unless
Judge Cover of Kankakee, ILL.,, and
| E. M. Thebiay of Eagle Grove, Ia,
iwere removed from the committee.
CATER several days of useless
negotiations the committee had a con-
ference with the harvester company s
attorney. The committee reports,
however. that all they were able to
draw from this attorney was "beads
of parspiraticn to his brow.
"After further maneuvering, the
committee finally met the president.
The committee. however. found him
i'll humored and his replies "dilatory,
incomplete and evasive. /" Asked to
permit the Iowa stockholders to have
representative on the board of direct
ors, President Thompson told them
they might have one "when the COM
pany has sold all its stock. - Some
Sc, 600, 600 has already been sold,
So, 700, 600 of which was sold the
last year.
"The committee is still working
: along lines which it believes will
ultimately bring desired results and
the consolidated committees from the
five states named will hold meeting
soon after the first of the year ir
Chicago when some definite action
will be taken. I"