The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-04-07
ELTFND FLOUR Mill
OPFRATIOkISPLAN
MOVE UNDER WAY BY MIN.
NEAPoLIs COMPANIES
Scheme Not to Take Over Small
er Plants But Steps Taken As
Trade Protective Measure,
Manufacturers Declare; Re-
cent Purchases Plants Are
Made In Other States.
Associated Press Dispatch. ]

Associated Press DISPATCH
Minneapolis, April 3.--A move to
extend -four mill operations of the
largest milling companies in the
United States located here to other
points in the country is apparent,
not as an effort OF taking over small
er plants, but rather as trade pro-
tective measure, milling officials
here declare.
One of the largest milling con-
Germs recently purchased two mills
in the central states, while other
big -four companies have either
taken options on sites in eastern
territory or purchased buildings
suitable for converting them for
milling purposes. .-.
The Washburn Crosby Company,
recently annexed by purchase the
Liberty Flour Mills at Kansas City
and the Star and Crescent Milling
Company at Chicago. Each has a
has a capacity of between 5000
and 1000 barrels a day.
A site for possible future erection
of a mill at Buffalo, n. Y, has been
obtained by the Pillsbury Flour
Mills Company, and the Russell
Miller Milling Company also has
purchased an elevator and former
malthouse at Buffalo, for possible
use later.
Differential In Flour Rates
The differential in -four rates,
which local millers declare is dis
criminatory to Minneapolis. is one
of the reasons for the spread" OF
the plants, one milling official said.
The -four companies are making ad-
ditions in various parts of the
country to enable them to keep the
trade in the respective territories,
which they probably would lose
through inequitable freight rates,
the heads of the firms said.
Other reasons include the fact
that each year finds it harder for
the northwest wheat to answer the
needs of the local mills. Wheat
crops in the past four years have
fallen far below grade, with the re
suit that wheat from other portions
of the central states had to be OBJ
tanned, milling officials, added.
The Washburn Crosby Company
at present operates mills at Buffalo,
n. Y, and Kalispell Mont, in ad-
dition tc it's mills here and the
plants recently purchased, but John
s. Crosby, one of the firms heads,
declared the expansion was just in
the order of business and that his
company entertained no policy to
annex the small mills and climb to
the top in the milling industry.
Capacity Minneapolis Mills
John S. Pillsbury, president of
the Pillsbury company, said his
company has purchased no new
mills but that. a site at Buffalo has
been optionally taken.
The elevator and malthouse build
ing, taken over by the Russell Mill !
er concern is located on an ideal
site on the Buffalo River and is a
potential site for milling operations,
w. c. Helm. one OF the officers OF
the company said.
Millers believe Minneap polls mills
with a normal capacity of almost
100, 900 barrels of -four day, have
q concentrated production too large
for the amount of suitable wheat
raised in the northwest. With the
present freight differentials, they
say, it remains only for. few more
crops of poor wheat to force the
local companies to make use of the
newly obtained sites.