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from similar agencies in other States, we resolved to 

 employ an agent upon a salary, and open an office. Bro. 

 W. A. Hendricks, coming very highly recommended, was 

 employed upon a salary of $1,500 per year. At thia 

 meeting we received a proposition from certain parties 

 claiming to represent a large number of manufacturers 

 who were dealing directly with Patrons to open a supply 

 depot in the city of Chicago, and furnish our agent with 

 a suitable office room free of expense to the State Grange, 

 only requiring that he should fill his orders from said 

 supply depot, where it could be done on as favorable 

 terms as they could be filled elsewhere. This proposition 

 was accepted, with a proviso for its termination. It soon 

 became apparent that this arrangement was not working 

 to the interest of the Order, and that our agent was not 

 furnished with suitable office room in which to transact his 

 business, and the arrangement was terminated. An office 

 was rented, and our agent moved into it. The report of 

 the agent, which has been submitted to you, will show the 

 amount of business done and the cost of doing the same; 

 when it will be in the province of this body to determine 

 whether this agency shall be continued as at present con- 

 ducted, changed, or abolished entirely. We are quite 

 confident that for the coming year it may be made self- 

 sustaining if properly conducted. If it should need a 

 small outlay of funds, we think it would be as profitable 

 an investment as will be likely to be made of the funds of 

 this Grange. 



At this meeting we received an invitation from the Ex- 

 ecutive Committee of the Missouri State Grange, inviting 

 this Committee to send representatives to a meeting of 

 the Executive Committees of the States of the Mississippi 

 Valley, to be held in the city of St. Louis on the i2d day 

 of February. This invitation was accepted, and the Com- 

 mittee attended said meeting/which was called to consider 

 the business interests of the Order. Arrangements were 

 made at that meeting for a mutual use of agencies in th* 



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