The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-02-20
LIVING COST IS
HIT BY BOARDS
Proposal to In
quire into Grain Trading
Bodies is Important.

Washington. Fob. 20.-ConSress-
sional inquiry into the r nization
and operations Of the Chicago and
Duluth boards Of rad and the Min
nesota Chamber of Commerce. to de-
tcrmine their influence over wheat
and flour prices in tho country was
proposed in a resolution introduced
Thursday by Representative Mammalian
"f Minnesota. The resolution was re-
ferred to the rules committee. Man
shan announced his intention of pres
sing his demand for a hearing at the
carries. possible date.
THE cost of living has not respond
ed to the general reduction i'll tari'f
Rates. declared the preamble of The
resolution. 1T doesn't yield to the
ste;rdily falling prices received by the
rme for their products" The con-
stantly changing price to the farmer
n continued high price to the on
sllmer it is asserted, is due to mani-
pulations in the purchase and sale
OF wheat by the three organizations
AIMED Each is charged with being
in a monopoly controlling wheat prices.
The resolution provides for the APP
pointrnent of a committee of scNeS
members Of the house with full in
uuisltorial powers
Controlled by 81 Few.
y AIiIlttIlilII liz Stil
further in his preamble that it is gen
orally believed that the business nf the
Chicago Board OF Trade n its opcr-
ations are controlled by a few larger
operators, namely, Armour, PcavN. j.
Itosenbaunl, ]. G.. Chatter & Co., and
Bartlett. frazer 4. Darlington. who
not only make tho bylaws 10 sui,
themselves but acting in conjunction
with the leading members of the Min
neapolis Chamber of Commerce, eNcr-
else an unreasonable influence over
the prices paid for grain.
He charges, further, that tho de-
mand for wheat so closely balances
the production OF wheat each wear.
that there is no excuse for violent iluc-
tuations and that these are produced
by tho grain bodies for their own
benefit and to h injury OF the pro-
ducers.
Gambling Charged.
After many whereases, Mr.. Man
ahan proposes a select committee of
seven to investigate and to ascertain,
whether, by their bylaws and Meth
I'D OF operation. they exercise any UNI
lawful restraint Of control over the
buying and selling Of grain coming
10 said terminal markets from Iowa,
Nebraska, the Dakotas or any other
state. or over the prices thereof.
me committee shall also Speciftcal-
~ inquire into the organization, meth
cd and practices of the public ware
house and terminal elevators Of Chi
cago, Minneapolis and Duluth. and
n the connection and control and
such public warehouses and terminal
elevators by the Chicago Board of
Trade; into the practice and methods
or grading wheat in vogue in Illinois
and Minnesota, in and out of said
pupilc warehouses II terminal ele-
tators. etc.
Power t o Prosecute.
The committee shall report to the
house tho facts ascertained BY it. and
testimony, together with rccommcn-
'iations for legislation and, if at IL
tfme, it ascertains facts that, in it's
Judgment, warrant criminal prosecu-
IONS. the committee is authorized to
make representation Of such facts TO
me attorney general of the Unitec
states as he may deem we'll.