The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-01-16
DAKOTA WHEAT.
1vestigated BY the Board Of Dakota Wheat
Inspectors - The Conclusions
Arrived At.
The Railways Ready to Cooperate With the
Farmers-The Evils OF Dockage and
Mixing.
The Various Complaints OF Bad Grades and
Worse Prices The Remedies
Suggested.

The hoard of grain inspectors of Dakota
have made an exhaustive report on the sub
iect submitted TO their investigation. which
after abiding to the Importance of the
wheat-growing interests of the territory,
both to producers and purchasers, and the
conditions of soil and climate which tend to
a nerfect quality Of hard wheat-continues,
showing that the crop will approximate 90
600 600 bushels, which is largely sought
after in all parts Of the world.
THE ELEVATOR SYSTEM.
@We found tina almost every purchaser of
Grain in the territory had his own plan of
grading wheat offered for sale. The elevator
system deserves particular attention in this
connection. The grain raised IN Dakota is
mostly handled through these instrumental
tiles; and elevators are, without doubt, when
properly conducted, great public conven-
fences in handling the immense crop thrown
upon the market almost in bulk. In fact, it
would be impossible to market the said grain
without elevators, which, to-day, immense
rs is their capacity. are scarcely sufficient to
store the wheat offered for transportation"
After enumerating the elevator companies
operating on the various lines OF railway, the
report continues: Beside the facilities for
the storage and handling of the grain afforded
bv the above, we find large numbers OF ware
houses and fiat houses at various points, with
a large storage capacity, beside independent
elevators and farmers elevators, and also
Touring mills at Fargo, Grand Forks, Grafton,
Iarimore, Milbank, Aberdeen, Columbia,
Mitchell, Chamberlain, Yankton, Sioux Falls,
Dell Rapids, Elk Point, and a number of
other places in the territory, each with a
storage sufficient for their needs, making a
total storage capacity of over six million
bushels. And yet large as it is the wheat
-.o- - DaIyn4a GnnPnaIp no hnnHl0H . If
will be readily seen that public elevators are
an absolute necessity, and being a public ne
cessity should be under strict surveillance
and regulated for public good. This primar-
ily was no doubt the intention OF the legisla-
tive assembly in passing the act named
above, The attention of this board was di-
rected at an early day to the alleged abuses
by elevator agents in the matter of grading
wheat, and complaints reached as, mostly
through the public prints, from Amos every
railroad station in the territory, of the
most shameful frauds practiced upon the
farmers by seid agents. We accordingly de-
termined to make a thorough investigation
thereof, and, IL in our power so to do, cor
rect said abuses, and secure the punishment
of the perpetrators. We visited personally
nearly every place in the territory, examined
thoroughly. and sought every conceivable
method to secure evidence of the commits
sion OF a public ~offeise, but We're unable to
secure the same; nor have we to this day
been able to secure evidence that before a
Jury would convict. This for the reason that
under the law named above 1t is necessary TO
prove that the elevator agent knowingly
cheated in the grade or weight OF the wheat
sold. To this we could get no one to swear.
These complaints were very numerous and
various in form"
COMPLAINTS INVESTIGATED.
A number of affidavits were presented at
aconvention of the farmers of North Dakota,
held in Grand Forks, Jan %, 1884, and
among others referred TO a committee who
reported shat the number of atfidavits is so
large that they could not all be presented In
the one evening" Many of these legal docu-
ments, however, are of a trivial and entirely
irrelevant nature, and not worthy OF serious
consideration. All show, however, an IT.
regular system of under grading and UNJUST
discrimination in the matters OF purchasing
and weighing OF wheat; that tho grading OF
wheat was governed by the caprice OF ele-
in the Red river valley. Affidavits are pre-
sented by various parties, most OF them re-
lating to different prices offered and grades
allowed at various elevators. There are also
affidavits of false weight, as compared witt
weights at points outside of elevators. About
five hundred atfidavits were presented to
the committee, but only twenty-five were
offered before the convention. Ihose read
were of similar purport to the above men
toned, and showed a wide difference In the
matter of grades, and some gross injustice
in the matter OK dockage. On the otnel
hand one farmer stated that he marketed
10000 bushels of wheat, of which 900
graded No. 1 hard. Another farmer stated
that he had sold several Thousand bushels o
wheat and received a large proportion o
high grades and was well satisfied. mi
board were in attendance upon said conven
ton, by invitation OF the committee APP
pointed to call the same. and were fully Goa
WINGED by the showing there made OF th'
necessity of additional legislation Tor tn
protection OF the farmers of this territory
1t would seem TO any one even the ieas
obseryant, that an elevator agent should o.
able tS grade the same wheat alike, even ue
nvered in two successive loads or on diner
ent days, but the evidence presented TO Tn
board In all parts Of the territory proves ina
the contrary is the case. Why 10 IL! Is \
want of capacity ana experience on the par
OF said agentsY or does their inability 4
simply arise from the infallibility Of human
ludgmenty IL is charitable TO believe tina
each OF those elements are characteristic o
the average wheat buyer OF Dakota w
nave never yet had an allegation made tina
the agent was dishonest, and although w
frequently asked the question OF the com
plainant, ID you believe the agent know
mgiy and wilfully swindled your the an
swer was invariably, aNo.n We have no In
tention in this report of making any argu-
ment upon this subject, but desire TO pre-
sent facts as we found them, leaving to yot
the duty of applying the remedy for tn
many evils we find to exist in this who'll
matter of grading the wheat crop OF TN
territory.
TRANSPORTATION By Rail-.
There is another branch of this subject Y
which we desire to direct your attention
tnat OF transportation, and connected there
With, the relations of the elevator companie
70 the railroads doing business as common
carriers in our midst Perhaps we can bette
present this subject by again referring TO tn
proceedings of the Grand Forks convention
which, briefly stated, ~eyentuated in the ap
pointment OF a committee of representative
gentlemen of said body, who were author
Ized 20 proceed to ST Paul and lay thel
grievances before the Manitoba Railroad