The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-23
DAKOTA

DAKOTA WHEAT.
Investigated By the Board of Dakota Wheat
Inspectors - The Conclusions .
Arrived At.
The board of grain inspectors of Dakota
have made an exhaustive report on the sub
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 10
a perfect quality OF hard wheat-continues,
showing that the crop will approximate 90
100000 bushels, which is largely sought
after in all parts of the world.
H 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; n elevators are. without doubt, when
properly conducted, great public conyen-
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
US is their capacity. are scarcely sufficient to
store The wheat offered for transportation"
After enumerating the elevator companies
operating OF the various lines OF railway. the
report continues: sBesido the facilities fer
tho storage and handling of the grain afforded
by the above. we find large numbers of ware
houses and flat houses ut various points, with
a large storage capacity, beside independent
elevators and farmers elevators, and also
Touring mills at Fargo, Grand Forks, Grafton,
Larimore, Milbank, Aberdeen, Columbia,
Mitchell, Chamberlain, Yankton, Sioux Falls,
Dell Rapids, Elk Point, and a number of
other places in the territory, each with n
storage sufficient for their needs. making a
total storage capacity of over six million
bushels. And yet large as 1t is the wheat
crop Of Dakota can scarcely be handled. 1t
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-
lily 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 us, mostly
through the public prints, from almost every
railroad station. in the territory, of the
farmers by said agents. We accordingly de-
termincd to make a thorough investigation
thereof, and, il in u power 80 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 %offense, but were unable to
secure the same; nor have we to this day
been able to secure evidence that before u
jury would convict. This for the reason that
under 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 NJ one to swear.
These complaints were very numerous and
various in form"
COMPLAINTS INyEsTIG ATED.
number of atfidavits were presented at
a convention 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 md entirely
nature, and not worthy OF serious
consideration. All show, however, an ir-
regular system of under grading and unjust
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. Affidavits are pre-
sented by various parties, most of them re-
latlng to different prices offered and grades
IN CA Il v ulJOu ClcN 1uG1 L ALSO
aftidayits of false weight, as compared with
weights at points outside of elevators About
five hundred atfidayits were 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 q wide difference in the
matter of grades, and some gross injustice
in the matter or dockage. On the other
hand one farmer stated that he marketed
10000 bushels of wheat, of which 1000
~~y1rx NJ 4 1-~I r~- = II
that he had sold several thousand bushels OF
and received q large proportion OF
high grades and was well satisfied. This
board were IL attendance upon said conven-
by invitation of the committee ap-
to call the same. and were fully Goa
WINGED by the showing there made of the
necessity of additional legislation for tho
protection of the farmers of this territory.
1t would seem to any one even the least
o~Dservant, that an elevator agent should be
able to grade the same wheat alike, even de-
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 IRE characteristic of
the average wheat buyer OF Dakota. We
have never yet had an allegation made that
the agent was dishonest. and although we
Plainant, D you believe the agent know
ingly and wilfully swindled your" the an
swer was invariably, 1No." We have no in
tention in this report of making any argu-
ment upon this subject. but desire to pre-
sent facts rs 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 desire to direct your attention.
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-
~pointuient of q 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 n seek redress therefor. The
complaints embodied III 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 u Northwestern, the Chicago, Mil
Maukee d St Paul and the Northern Pacific
Raliroad companies, only varying in intensity
or number, as the case might be. This board
have no other or further comment to make
upon the conclusions arrived at by this COM
mittee (some of whom were once railroad
men), and who seem to nave given to the
consideration of the subject great labor and
pains, than to say that we fully agree
with them therein; and this after the
fullest investigation we have been
able to make; both private, and also
at public meetings held at prominent points
on the lines of these great corporations, par
ticipated in by the general freight agents
and other officers OF the roads named, and
along the lines thereof. We may say, how
ever, that we were everywhere met in what
we regarded rs a perfect spirit of fairness by
thu 1annruD# n a. <,o,.u ~ sail i, ,1r0aI T. ,r,lo H.,