The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1914-10-15
(From the Crosby Review.)

At the annual meeting OF the Farm
ers Cooperative Elevator and Trading
Co., at Crosby, there appeared stran-
ger by the name Of Osborn, as spokes-
man for the Equity Cooperative Elk
change, which institution he called
"the farmers own selling agency" He
appealed to the prejudice of his aud
fence and evidently had the farmers
sized up as being ignorant to such
degree that they would swallow any
statement or assertion he made to
them. His whole trade was an insult
to the intelligence of the farmers
around Crosby, because even if grant
ed that they are unfamiliar with the
handling of grain at the terminals,
they are, as whole, men of good COM
mon sense who will not believe any
old yarn a stranger may tell them.
Of course, there are always few in
any community who will believe what
an oily-tongued stranger tells them
and at the same time suspect friend
and neighbor who never told lie,
but there are exceptions. The writer
has never before, however, listened to
a speech so full of falsehood and mis-
representations, as the following an
alysis will show.
His assertion that the Canadian
Farmers Selling Agency at Winnipeg
has been the means of forcing prices
up on the Canadian wheat, that wheat
prices at Winnipeg have been about
8 cents above Minneapolis all last fall
and winter, etc.
1t is an historic fact that just the
opposite is true; any farmer and bus
mess man who reads newspapers
knows that wheat prices at Winnipeg
have been about cents below the
Minneapolis market all last fall and
winter, saying nothing about the fact
that the same quality of wheat which
grades No. l Northern under Mime
sofa inspection will only grade No. 2
Northern in Winnipeg, so actual differ
ence in favor of the American farmer
has been at least cents on the aver
age. AS consequence the Canadians
were exporting their surplus wheat
last fall and winter while our own
surplus wheat had to be carried till
late in the season, as our prices were
above an export basis most of the
time until toward spring.
2-Mr. Osborne made the assertion
that the Equity Cooperative (?) Elk
change have sold grain consigned to
them at higher prices than those OBJ
tanned for the same quality of grain
by members of the Chamber of Com
merce.
If any miller or grain merchant
should be foolish enough to pay the
Equity Exchange more than the regu-
lar market price for grain, his rela-
tives ought to have guardian ap-
pointed to look after him. But the
fact of the matter is that this COM
mission house which is falsely named
"The Equity Cooperative Exchange"
has been looked upon by scalpers as
bargain counter where they could
go and find snaps. A list of many hum
dreds Of cars, more than 60 per cent
of all grain handled by the Equity
people, has been published and sent to
the trade lately, by which it is shown
that the Equity people have not even
obtained the full market price for
grain consigned to them, but have sold
it through middlemen or to the mills
for at least one cent below prices pre-
vailing on the Chamber of Commerce.
Now the Equity people squall that
these lists are not correct, that they
could sue the publishers for libel, but
that they don't do it because the pub
fishers are not financially responsible.
If that is the case, and they can prove
that the low prices given in the lists,
as having been sold for by the Equity
Exchange are not true, why don't they
start action for damage against such
responsible firms as the American Lin
seed Co.. McCabe Brothers, New
Prague Milling Co., Victoria Elevator
Co.. Pacific Elevator Co., Wabasha
Roller Mill, Russell Miller Milling Co.,
Listman Mill Co., and many other re-
sponsible concerns They all testify
over their respective names in the
pamphlet referred to that they bought
all the grain from the Equity at a
price which was at least one cent be-
low prices on the Chamber of Com
merce. If these statements are not
true and judgments were obtained
against either Of these firms they
would have to pay it as they are re-
sponsible. There is evidence right at
home, also, to prove that hte Equity
people fail to get the full market val
ue for grain consigned to them: Man
ager Norman, Of the local Farmers Ell
evator, shipped three cars Of grain to
them once and says he figures that he