Excerpts from the Strome DespatchAugust 1, 1912The newest industrial establishment in Strome is the 200 barrel flour mill owned and operated by the Strome Milling and Grain Company, of which F.L. Bishop is manager. The mill was formally opened last Tuesday. This plant is said to be the most modern of its kind west of Winnipeg, and represents an investment of $35,000. It is operated by a 200 horse power Stratford engine. Through this establishment will pass much of the product of the 15,000 acres of land devoted to wheat and other grains. In addition to the milling plant and its elevator the town has three other elevators with a combined capacity of 1,000,000 bushels, representing the total production of this vicinity. Three hundred and ten cars of wheat and 50 cars of oats were shipped last season and it is expected that the output will be largely increased this year. Wm Black was head miller when it opened in 1912.April 30, 1914A meeting of the shareholders of the Strome Milling and Grain Co. Ltd. Was held on Saturday afternoon in the company's office, to consider matters of interest.The most important of these was that of reorganization. A.S. McCulloch who has been the managing director for the past five months, submitted a report of the conditions of the mill to March 31. The company has been progressing - has been making money, but not sufficient to satisfy the directors. In order to make the most out of the mill the wheat should be purchased in the fall when it can be secured at a much lower price than at any other time. The storage capacity is not sufficient to hold a year's supply of milling wheat, and an effort will be made to secure the farmers' elevator at Killam. Final action cannot be taken until M.J. O'Brien gives his consent, as he holds the controlling interest.Mr. McCulloch is leaving the company as its active manager on the first of May much to the regret of the directors and shareholders, as he has proved conclusively that he has surmounted the many obstacles that was on the path to success due to the mismanagement of his predecessors and got the affairs of the company in good shape, and the financial success of the mill assured if it be kept under careful management (and the company will succeed without this) Mr. McCulloch still remains.D.A. McKenzie was then engineer and Miss Florence Best was stenographer.September 6, 1917The annual meeting of the shareholders of the Strome Milling and Grain Co. Ltd., was held on Tuesday afternoon in the store room of the mill. Wm Lindsay called the meeting to order and J.J. Nierengarten, secretary, called the roll of members. The annual financial statement and the auditor's report were adopted with very little discussion. It was decided to increase the number of members on the board to nine; it now being eight. This was done in order to create a seat on the board for the new manager, C.E. Austin, who assumed the duties of that office this week. The retiring members of the directorate were Alex J. Scrimgeour and R.J. McGowan. The able counsel of these two members is much appreciated by the other directors and shareholders and they were unanimously reelected. J.E. Murray, of Renfrew, was at the meeting representing M.J. O'Brien, who holds the controlling interest in the company. The officers and directors made addresses, taking up the different phases of the work of the board. The new manager also responded to an invitation from the chair to address the shareholders. He was well received, and is assured the support of the shareholders in his work.A.M. Levin, who has been the manager for several months, sent his resignation to the board sometime ago to take effect as soon as they saw fit to release him, but would continue on until a suitable man could be secured. He was relieved from the managership of the first of the month, but remains in the employ of the company.C.E. Austin, the manager, comes to us well recommended, being one of the best flour and grain men in the west. Eleven years ago he took over the management of the Robin Hood mills at Moose Jaw, when that concern was only turning out 250 barrels a day. Within six years the capacity of this same mill was increased to 3,000 barrels per day. So when we say he is the "man who made Robin Hood flour famous" we are not stretching things at all. He has been general manager of the Canadian government interior storage elevators for some years and resigned that position to manage the Strome mill.December 16, 1920Announcement is made in the advertising columns of this paper that the local flour mill has ceased making flour for the time being and almost the entire force has been laid off. To some this is not much of a surprise, as the unsteady condition of the wheat market naturally causes uneasiness among the flour dealers, with the consequence that the flour market today is far from being satisfactory. As it is the tendency of the times that prices generally will drop, it must be expected that the public is not buying anything except for immediate use. Then the export trade has been cut off almost entirely. Financial conditions in the foreign countries are such that they cannot pay for our produce, hence there is none going across the water.Chas. Stickle, superintendent of the Interprovincial Flour Mill, Ltd. Who owns the local mill, was here on Saturday of last week and closed the mill down; that is so far as making flour is concerned. The entire staff, with the exception of Hayward Smith, was either laid off or places found for them in the Saskatoon plant. A.E. Reesor, who has been head miller for some time, has resigned his position with the company, and expects to leave next week for Calgary. P.M. Geddes, the second miller, and Charlie Calhoun, the grain buyer, are still at work, but expect to be transferred to Saskatoon in a short time, as soon as some necessary repairs are made. Both engineers have been released and Oscare McCune has been engaged to work part time, as it is the intention of the management to grind feed on Friday and Saturday of each week, and the steam power will be used for this purpose.The management regret very much that they find it necessary to close down the mill at this point, and everything has been done to keep it going, and hope that it will not be long before the local plant will again be in operation, as the close down is only temporary. It will depend entirely on the flour market.October 6, 1927The Strome Flour Mill has been taken over by me, F.R. Fairweather, and I wish to announce to the public that the same will be in operation at a date on or near October 25, and ask for the farmers to hold off purchasing their winter's supply of flour until the mill is in operation. A definite date for opening will be announced in these columns in a short time.It is my intention to make a specialty of gristing and feed grinding for the farmers, and I believe it will pay you to wait until I got open and patronize me. Bring in a grist and take home your flour and feed. A stock of flour and feed will also be kept."Help the Mill and the Mill will Help the Community."Strome Flour AbroadApril, 1914Today the Strome Mill made its first shipment of flour to China. The order was for 4,000 sacks and goes to an American firm in Hong Kong. Citizens of Strome and district made a liberal donation of 258 sacks of flour to Belgian Relief Fund.The donators included:A.S. McCulloch 10Alex Scrimmageour 10W.T. Phipps 10Lakeview Hotel 15J.J. Nierengarten 5C.F. Lyalll 10December 1, 1927We are now ready to look after your wants in regard to what we have to offer. In our last advertisement there was some misunderstanding regarding the "gristing" business and, as we do not want to mislead the public, this is what we are going to do - Exchange our flour and feed for your wheat and charge 25¢ per bushel for grinding. We give 36 lbs. of flour and 20 lbs. of feed for a bushel of wheat.We figure it out for you - three bushels of wheat at the present time is worth about $3.60, you pay 75¢ for the grinding of the three bushels; this makes a total of $4.35. You get in return 108 lbs. of flour and 60 lbs. of feed for your $4.35. If you purchase flour elsewhere it will cost you in the neighborhood of $5.25 per hundred, and you will not get any feed with it either. See what you can save.