he Grain Exchange be interfered
with?

The Exchange was willing that its membership should be extended. Their
books always would be open to Government inspection in future and they
would also repeal the rule regarding track-buyers' salaries. The press
was already admitted and it would be found that when the new building
which the Exchange was erecting was completed there would be a gallery
for the use of the public during trading hours.

If the Legislature were to amend the charter, declared the Exchange's
spokesman, the Exchange would demand that the charter be cancelled _in
toto_ and a receiver appointed to distribute the assets. The Exchange
was tired of being branded thieves and robbers and they should be let
alone to do their business. If this were not satisfactory, then they
wished to be put out of business altogether.

The Grain Growers protested that it was not their desire to have the
charter cancelled. They were not blind to the usefulness of the
Exchange if it were properly managed and all they asked was that this
organization be compelled to do what was right. The reason the
Exchange had admitted the Grain Growers' Grain Company, the farmers
claimed, was so that they could have it under discipline, being afraid
of a combination of farmers in the interests of the producer. The
farmers had lost confidence in the manipulations of the Exchange and
wanted official protection.

The question of declaring deals in futures to be a criminal offence was
outside provincial jurisdiction and the farmers withdrew that part of
the request. They wished everything else to stand, however.

At this juncture a recommendation was made that a conference be held
between the Government, the Grain Growers, the Exchange, reeves of
municipalities, bankers, railroads, etc., for discussion of everything
pertaining to the handling of wheat, including amendments to the Grain
Exchange charter. The idea appealed to the Premier and before the
Committee he pledged that the resolutions passed at the proposed
conference would be converted into legislation.

After adopting the Agricultural Committee's report the Government did
not act independently regarding the suggested charter amendments, as
the farmers had hoped they would; instead, the whole thing was shelved,
pending the suggested conference. When this conference was held in the
latter part of February, however, the Government was duly impressed by
the earnestness of the Gr