Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-06-28


out there was an import duty charged
! amounting to 900. We Immediately took
the matter up with the Treasury and also
interested Senator Burleigh in our behalf.
| The Maine Central Railroad also worked
with US and while we have letters from
Washington saying they were investigat-
ing we have not as yet been able to get
anything definite relative to the matter.
We should get rebate and shall work to
that end.
AS soon as we started shipping grouno
! limestone other firms who had never
| ground any of this rock came into the
| field and in some cases where they were
favored by low rates they were able to
supply the goods at lower cost than
that which we had quoted. Some of the
local unions took advantage of this privi-
| lege and bought outside the union. 1t
would appear that when the union secures
goods for the membership at a low price
that the locals should understand the sit
uation and support the managers effort
| If this Is not to be the case, then the
union cannot afford to go to the extra ex-
pense in looking up good trades for the
| locals.
| 4ASIS was So trouble Drought
about by the government assessing us I'M
lawfully the Dominion Lime Company re-
fused at one time to fill our orders. We
then tried the Rockland Company who
were selling ground limestone for the
first time, but they were unable to take
additional orders. Next we tried the
Pownal Company of Pownal, Vermont,
and they accepted our orders, and we
thought our troubles were over How
ever, in few days word was received
| from this company that they had suf-
fered a serious breakdown and could not
| fill our orders
Farmers Union Grain G. Supply Co.
1t will be remembered that in 19la-l913,
We were unable to buy feed, -four grain,
ETC., from the wholesalers and that it
became necessary for US to establish a
wholesale house over which we had con-
troll. The firm of Austin G. Haines was
engaged in the retail grain business at
! Waterville, and we were able to induce
them to reorganize under the name of the
Farmers Union Grain & Supply Company
with capital stock of $4,000, they to fur
nish all the capital. However, we made
a side contract with them to the effec,
that as the local unions or individual
! members purchased the stock a like
amount of the stock of Austin G. Haines
would be retired. When 1870 of this stock
| had been disposed of in this way then no
more could be purchased unless the re-
naming 81 shares were taken over. In
about one year after the foregoing con-
| i,
Waterville purchased one of the buildings
owned by Austin & Hanes thus making
1t less difficult to purchase the business.
| The wholesale business increased rapid
| ly and it appeared that the time had come
! when the unions should own the whole
| business. meeting of the locals in Cen.
| trail Maine was called in Waterville in
August, 1915, and after a full discussion II
! was unanimously voted to purchase tn ),
business. 1t was planned that each local
! should purchase 80 shares of stock at the
par value of $40 each, thus giving the To-
cal unions an interest in the business Of
s5oO. At the time the purchasing of the
business looked promising, but distressing
business conditions along farming lines
were such that the farmers were unable
to take on additional financial burden AS
a result the stock has sold slowly, but
the unions own about one-third of the
capital stock. and we feel certain that in
time they will come into possession of
the whole business
! would suggest that the unions should
feel certain degree of pride in getting
! possession of the wholesale end of their
grain business. for when this is accom-
plished they will have eliminated one pro
fit between them and the base of supply.
Buy the stock, gentlemen. and build up
farmers commercial center in Water
vile that will be the pride of the State.
Farmers Union Distributing COMPANY.
Our first venture in selling potatoes in
the large marketing centers was through
the assistance of regular potato brokers.
Inc locals were not quite satisfied with
TINS system, and on January 1915 we es-
tabllshed company in Boston known as
the Farmers Union Distributing Com
pany.
We believed that it was necessary that
we have possession of a stall in the notato
district, and to this end we sought to
rent one of the stalls of the Boston e.
1'A'NAiiS iouutc CnafleStOWn,
Mass. Upon investigation we discovered
that all stalls were taken and that there
were many applications ahead of us. In
order to secure stall from any one ioca,.
ed IN the house a premium of $1,000 was
asked. and this was out of the question
for us to consider We were, however,
able to make a working agreement with
the firm Of I. D. Young Co., and have
since been working in partnership with
them. This gave us the use of one of the
stalls of the Boston & Maine Produce
House, which placed us in a position to
do business on an equality with others in
the same business.
The business in Boston has to some ex-
tent been disappointing on account Of the
conditions in Central Maine. It is we'll
known that we depend upon Central
Maine to larger extent than we do
Aroostook for our supply of potatoes, and
1t is also well known that the potato
crop west of Aroostook was practically
failure.
Early in the season we planned to divide
the State into two shipping divisions, viz
Aroostook and Central Maine. We ar
ranged with Mr.. Guy c. Porter of Houl-
ton to take charge of the Aroostook
Division and Mr.. Fred A. Bulge the Gem