The Dickinson press., 1885-01-17
DAKOTA
Ivestigated By the Board of Dakota Wheat
inspectors The Conclusions
Arrival A.

Ivestigated By the Board of Dakota Wheat
inspectors The Conclusions
Arrived At.
III board of grain Inspectors of Dakota
have made an exhaustive report on the SUBJ
ject 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
perfect quality of hard wheat-continues,
showing that the crop will approximate g.
100000 bushels, which is largely sought
after in all parts of the world.
q ELEVATOR SYSTEM.
w found that 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
as is their capacity. are scarcely sufficient to
store the wheat offered for transportation"
After enumerating the elevator companies
operating on the various lines oil railway. the
report continues: beside the facilities fer
the storage and handling of the grain afforded
by the above. we find large numbers of ware
houses and flat houses at various points, with
a large storage capacity, beside Independent
elevators and farmers elevators, and also
Touring mills at Fargo, Grand Forks, Grafton,
Mitchell, Chamberlain, Yankton, Sioux Falls,
Dell Rapids, Elk Point, and a number of
other places in the territory, each with q
Ste. Re sufficient for their needs, making a
total forage capacity of over six million
bushels. And yet large as it is the wheat
crop of Dakota can scarcely be handled. 1t
will be readily seen that public elevators are
an absoll' % ""cessity, and being a public ne
cessitys' : be under strict surveillance
and re- llated for public good. This primar-
lily was M 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 us, mostly
through The public prints, from almost every
railroad station in the territory, of the
most shameful frauds practiced upon the
farmers by said agents. We accordingly de-
termined to make q thorough investigation
thereof, and, if 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 %otfense, but were 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
unde the law named above it 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"
INVESTIGATED.
A number of atfidavits were presented at
a convention of the farmers of North Dakota.
held in Grand Forks, Jan. 80, 1854, and
among others referred to a committee who
reported that the number of attidaVits 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 ir-
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-
vator agents and no uniform system existed
in the Red river valley. AtfidaviJs are pre-
sented by various parties, most of them re-
lating to different prices offered and grades
allowed at various elevators. There are also
aftidavits OF false weight, as compared with
weights at points outside of elevators. About,
five hundred atfidavits We're presented to
the committee, but only twenty-five were
offered before the convention. Those 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 OF dockage. On the other
hand one farmer stated that he marketed
graded No. l hard. Another farmer stated
that he had sold several thousand bushels Of
wheat and received a large proportion OF
high grades and was well satisfied. This
board were in attendance upon said conven-
ton, by invitation of the committee ap-
pointed to call the same. and were fully coa-
WINGED by the showing there made of the
necessity of additional legislation for the
protection of the farmers of this territory.
1t would seem to any one even the least
observant, that an elevator agent should be
able to grade the same wheat alike, even de-
livered in two successive loads or on differ
emit days, but the evidence presented to the
board in all parts of the territory proves that
The contrary Is the case. Why is it? Is it
want of capacity and experience on the part
of said agents? or does their inability to
properly grade wheat presented for sale
simply arise from the infallibility Of human
Judgment? 1t is charitable to believe that
each OF those elements are characteristic of
the average wheat buyer of Dakota We
have never yet had an allegation made that
the agent was dishonest. and although we
frequently asked the question of the COM.
plainant, d. you believe the agent know
ingly and wilfully swindled you?" the an
swer was invariably, sNo." 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 you
the duty of applying the remedy for the
many evils we find to exist in this whole
matter of grading the wheat crop of the
territory.
TRANSPORTATION By RAIL-.
There Is another branch of this subject to
which we 6aSira tn 1iraat upy1r otfantion-
that of transportation, and connected there
with, the relations of the elevator companies
to the railroads doing business as. common
carriers in our midst. Perhaps we can better
present this subject by again referring to the
proceedings of the Grand Forks convention,
which, briefly stated, eventuated in the ap=
pointment of a committee Of representative
gentlemen Of said body, who were author
lied to proceed to ST. Paul and lay their
grievances before the Manitoba Railroad
company and seek redress therefor. The
complaints embodied i'll the report of said
committee, and which were brought to the
attention of the corporation named, were
generally similar to those made against the
Chicago 4 Northwestern,, the Chicago, Mil
waukee y st. Paul and the Northern Pacific
Railroad companies, only yaryingi IN intensity
or number, as the case might, be. Phis board
have no other OF further commentsto make
upon the conclusions arrived at by this COM
milttee Some of whom we're onceSrailroad
consfderation:of the bubject great labor and
pains Than to say that We fully agree
fullest investigation we have been
able to make; boths private, and also
at public meetings heldsat1rominent points
on the lines of these great corporations, par
ticipated in, by the general freight agents
and other officers OF the roads named, and
thy lafgeaumbers of the practical farmers
along The lines thereof. We. may say. how
ever, that we were everywhere met lin what