St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-30
STATE GRAIN GRADING.
A Discussion of the Best Means of
Bringing About Uniformity
of Grading.
The Views of the Farmers and the Elevator
Companies Regarding the
Matter.

Cnarley GllInanS gaVel, lmpelIed oY the
strong right arm of Senator Buchanan, in the
senate chamber yesterday afternoon at 3
O'Clock, gave notice that the time had come
for the discussion of such granger grievances
as are contained in the present laws regard
ing grain inspection. The house and senate
committees on grain grading and warehouse
inspection, a committee of the Dakota legis-
lature on the same subject, representatives
Of the st. Paul board of trade and chamber
of commerce, and q large number of prom
inent citizens Of this city and vicinity were
in attendance, and the galleries were full of
persons interested in the marketing of wheat.
The meeting, although resulting in no tang
ible understanding, was productive of much
information and not a little merriment.
Senator P~illsbury and ex-senator Robbins
were sufficiently accommodating to hold
themselves up as a couple of red rags, and
Senator Wilson and F. R. Delano, like bovlne
braves, accepted the challenge and punctured
them in a right royal manner. Senator
Wilson, after worrying the elevator men full
fifteen minutes, elected the information that
the Millers' association fixes the price paid
for wheat by the elevators, and
that there is practically no COMPETE
ton, even when there are two or
more elevators in q town. After the meet
ing got the information, Messrs. Pillsbury
and Robbins undertook the task of proving
that the MIllers' association made its prices
as much in the iuteresto of the producer of the
wheat as Of the man In whose elevator 1t was
stored. Their apparently unseemly industry
by evasion to avoid telling who liked the
prices paid by the elevators, however, had
the effect of creating a suspicion in the
minds of many listeners that they were
really concealing 4 good deal that might be
told to their detriment. That they were not
entirely honest and open in their declara-
tons, however, 1t would probably be unfair
TO say. Both gentlemen urged that they did
not object to a state inspection law for the
regulation of the traffic in and grading Of
grain, but expressed Il fear that some Ill
digested measure, which would result in
great injury to the elevators in existence,
would pass.
Mr.. L.. A. Gilbert stated briefly the desire
of the st. Paul board Of trade. In our iudg-
ment, he said, the inspection aud grading Of
grain should be under state control, under
the direct supervision Of n man of intelii-
gence and knowledge of the subject, whose
salary should be large enough to fully pay
him for his work. We think every railroad
company should have one or more public
elevators. They furnish public warehouses
for everything else, and it would appear to
be just for them 10 furnish them for grain.
We do not contend that all warehouses
should be public. The elevator tickets should
have no restriction which would prevent any
person in the state from holding them. We
do not wish any crowding Que way or the
other. We want simply . bill which shall be
honest and honorable for all parties con-
cerned.
Mr.. F. r. Delano explained the old system
OF grading grain In this state, aud said the
tickets issued 10 those days were as good in
Milwaukee, Chicago. Baltimore, New York or
Boston as in s.. Paul. The old system had
been abandoned, and we had come to a
point Of much trouble in grain grading. He
expressed the belief that one reason of the
mixture at the present day was the number
Of grain grades. In the early DAYS there
were but three grades, whereas at this date
there were nine. He would reduce the num-
her Of grades and have a general remodeling
of the system of grain grading. He would
have a chief grim inspector of the state. a
man competent to judge Of grades of grain.
he would have under this chief an inspector
on each of the railroads of the state, to be
known as a division inspector. It should be
the business of such inspectors TO go to
every public warehouse aud make inspections
under the law which you may pass. This
would bring the matter under one system 1t
might not work we'll for two or three years,
If sou undertook to reduce the number Of
rraAaz H~F fha 1rNsa-a nna
come would be all that you
could wish. He would reduce the number of
grades, and have only.NO 1 hard, No. 1 reg
uIar, No. ., No. 8 and rejected. 1t was easy
to grade No. l bard or No. l regular, but
when it cane to lover grades, it was not so
easy TO say whether the wheat should be
graded No. 9 or No. 3. II the farmer de-
sired, dirty wheat might be put through q
cleaning machine for half a cent 3 bushel
and made No. 1 hard OF No. 1 regular. An
other vay would be for a farmer to drive up
with bis fifty bushels Of wheat. The wheat
Itself being No. |, but being full Of dirt, the
elevator nzu might say, I'm take it as If IS
as No. 3, and give you tickets for It, IN grade
it No. 2 and giTe you tickets for forty-nine
bushels, or III grade it No. l and give you
tickets for forty-eight bushels Farmers
might take their chances IN this zay, and
the method would doubtless work smoothly.
Il was possible to have q uniform grade ali
over TIC stale. and he hoped to see > bill
drawu aud passed looking 70 that end. Mr..
DeIsno touched upon the mixing OK grain,
and said be hoped no restriction against mix
ing would be incorporated in the bill There
was no good reason vhy . man shouldn't
mix bis grain If he wanted TO.
Senator CIark-SuPpose wheat is graded
No. l al WiIlnar, what would if Be at S.
Pauif
Nj. DelSno-A law can Be made which