St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-06
A COMm1ssIONER,s ANSWER.
Gen. Becker Replies to the Inter
views in Yesterdays s.GlObe,,

Gen. Becker Replies to the Inter.
views in Yesterdays s'GlObe.''
Upon the receipt of the report of the
board OF railroad commissioners on Thurs
day afternoon the GLOBE collected opinions
from large number of people in st. Paul
and Minneapolis who are interested in the
matter of wheat grading, and farmers, mill
ers, commission men, etc. Some of these
expressions of opinion criticised the work of
the commission rather freely.
Commissioner Becker is the only one of
the railway commissioners in the city, Gen.
Baker having gone to his home and Mr.
Murdoch having started Thursday night for
a trip to several towns in the northern part
OF the state. Mr.. Becker said to a GLOBE
reporter yesterday that he had read with no
little interest the opinions of prominent mill
erS and commission men as published
in yesterdays GLOBE. ''It would be
strange" he said, eff the definition and
classification of the grades should not meet
with objection in 1sOme quarters. and it
would be very singular if any definition
could be made that would not have to be
changed after given fair trial. The COM
missiOners have been, of course, wholly dis
interested in the matter, save in the way of
doing the best they could for the majority
OF the wheat raisers, not forgetting the
buyer at the same time. We simply EN-
bodied in the definition and the statement
that we made the results Of our judgment
after long and carefully hearing all sides of
the questions at issue.
"When we were in Chicago, at the OPEN
ing OF their chamber of commerce building,
several well-known business men who spoke
alluded to the stability of the Chicago
grades, saying that they were not afraid to
buy in any of the grain markets
wheat that bore the Chicago inspectors
stamp. Inquiry did not show that Mime
sofa grades were regarded as having any
such standing, and we have been impressed
with the idea that something should be
done by ourselves to attain this. The No.
2 Northern, which will be the great CONNER
cial grade, we believe will be so pro-
nOunced in its quality and under state in
SpectiOn so uniform that it will be recOg-
nized In all markets"
''The commission believed that under the
law system of dockage could not be pro-
vided for?"
1T cannot be with anything like strict
Interpretation OF the law creating the state
weigh master and Inspector Their duties
hiV'S OSSh P1OoS1lpCls accurately dtlu tuCy
have taken Oaths and given bonds to per-
form them in accordance. with the letter of
the law. A system of dockage is nothing
more or less than system of guess work,
and while men may be willing to do this in
their private business where no one but
themselves is interested, it will not do for
state officials to conduct business in that
way"
''These grades will be in effect after the
18th inst?"
''Nominally they will, though there is
provision that all grain that has been ware
housed under the old system shall all be
cleared out without change. The new crop
will probably begin to move early in Sep
TENDER, and the change has been made
thus early that the grades may become IA
miliar and have sort of trial before that
time"