of the Grain Growers' Grain Company therefore issued
the following circular letter, which was mailed to every farmer
shareholder:

"This matter we now bring to your notice is the most important yet.

"At a meeting of the Grain Exchange, held a few days ago, the
Commission Rule was suspended for a year. This means that there is no
fixed charge for handling grain, and any company or firm can, if they
wish, handle car lots for nothing. How did this come about? The
Elevator Companies did it with the aid of Bank Managers and other
Winnipeg men outside of the Grain Trade, who hold seats on the
Exchange, and voted with them. The intention of these Elevator
Companies is to handle all grain for 1/2c. per bushel or for nothing in
order to take it away from the Commission Men, who have no elevators,
and especially to keep it away from the Grain Growers' Grain Company.

"The Elevator Companies can handle farmers' cars for nothing and still
not lose anything. How? In four ways--

"1st. They all buy street grain and the immense profits they make on
this will make up for any loss they have in handling cars for nothing.

"2nd. The dockage they get on street grain and on car lots passed
through their elevators helps them.

"3rd. The charges on the cars loaded through their elevators helps
them.

"4th. When they get your car it is sent to their own terminal
elevator, and they earn the storage on it there which is very
profitable.

"The commission man, such as ourselves, has none of these things to
fall back on. His profit is what is left out of the cent a bushel
commission after all expenses such as rent, taxes, insurance, wages for
office help, telegrams, telephone, etc., are paid.

"The Elevator Combine know this. They know the weakness of the
commission dealers' position and the strength of their own, and knowing
it, deliberately cut out the commission and will offer to handle the
farmers' grain for nothing in order to put the only opposition they
have out of business. And mark you! this is aimed at our company more
than any other, though we believe they are after all commission
dealers. Some of them have said so. They want to kill us and they
think they have at last found a way. Their dodge is simple. By
handling cars for half a cent or nothing, they are going to bribe the
farmers and our own shareholders to send cars away from us, and by
keeping grain from us help to kill us and plant us that deep we sh