Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1891-06-12
WHEAT INVESTIGATION

WHEAT INVESTIGATION.
COMMITTEE 8uatkN LOOKING INTO
Ts4E CHARGES OF FRAUD.
wheat Shipped Out at 1Iidnlsht Billsd
~ screaaings-shortage st Ba6slo 40.
counted for by Elevator Scales Bsi.s
Incorrsct -stordock On tho stsnA.
Country Elevators to BE Investigated.
ST.. PAUL, June Sin the elevator In
vestigation Mr.. Clausen was plsced On
the stand again. He was given .sone
grain to grade, which he did as rejected,
and gave his reasons. showing it had
been burned by heating in the bin.
These samples had been graded by Mr..
Ario a. No. Northern. Another sam
pie of grain which Mr.. Ario could not
even name proved to Be kind Of a bax.
10y raised in some parts OF the state TO
: Mr. Qaaaen further explained the N,
OF special hinA When . ,.shipper has q
lot Of wheat which ii Of extra fine qua1-
ity he has it stored by itself. In thi,
way, when shipped from tho elevator,
he can have the advantage Of having Il
unmixed with an inferior quality Of thu
same grade, and thus, perhaps set 4
higher price for it. As tie grain must
be delivered from the elevator at the
same grade given to it when it was
inspected in, regardless Of improvement
buyer would get all the benefit if it were
not for the special bin feature of the
system. Sometimes the grade is raised
by re;nspection, but this entails some
expense. The owner of grain or his
authorized agent may obtain a reinspec-
ton, but there is no advantage whatever
to the Warehousemen in such case.
Witness further stated that the railroad
companies did not show any respect for
the rights of inspection, switching cars
all over the yards and even taking them
out Of town before they could be in
epected.
William G. Weld, state weighman,
was put upon the stand. Mr.. Weld tes-
tilted before tho house committee. Mr..
Weld said that it was not an uncommon
occurrence TO weigh grain in at night,
but he thought this grain was always
inspected during the day. He did not
know, nor had he ever heard of case
in which the grain was received or
shipped without having been weighed
or the weighing overseen by a state
we1ghman. He never heard of q case
where more grain was weighed out for
vessel than it coutd carry, that the
residue, afterthe vessel was loaded, was
not weighed back and credited to the
vessel. He had never known or heard
OF a case in which the elevator men had
done the weighing and simply given the
weights to the state weighman.
It was the duty of the state weighmen
to see that the shipping bins were empty
after vessel was loaded, and this was
always attended to before certificate
Of weights was given.
An Important Change.
Howard Starkey, foreman of elevator
D, at Duluth, TOOK the stand. Mr..
Starkey testified before the house com.
mittee: The testimony made him say
that there were slides in the shipping
pipes, these slides opening into the
pocket bins, and that these slides were
kept open while vessels were being
loaded. His actual testimony, he said,
was that there were slides In the ship.
ping bins, opening into the pocket bins,
and the pocket bins are kept open while
Iszsss xssss1s HBs H.e Se1g 1asasa d a ordaf thlt
also said his testimony in regard to
screenings was not given as he had
given it. He knew nothing about the
wholesale trade in screenings. He had
sold screenings at retail for Is cents to
Is cents per bushel. Had sold ten times
as much at 25 cents as 76 cents.
Witness stated positively that It
would be impossible to take wheat from
the elevator without the discovery Of
that fact by himself.
Witness also declared with emphasis
that all cars unloaded were properly
swept out.
On cross examination by Mr.. Erwin
witness stated that the shipping bins
had been refined with sheet iron once,
about two years ago. The shipping bins
had never leaked.
Clark s. Fulton, chief deputy in
spector at Duluth, was next called as q
witness, but nothing new or important
was ehcited.
ST. PAUL. June &C. S. Fulton was
again called to the stand by the wheat
Investigating committee and questioned
regarding the controversy between him
self and Mr.. Cross. The witness en-
phaticaily denied that he had sent Cross
over to West Superior because he
wanted to get him out of the way. It
was his custom to change the inspectors
between West Superior and Duluth fire.
quently to acquaint them with the ele-
vators.
In the cross examination by Mr.. Er-
win, Mr. Fulton said that he had done
everything for Mr.. Cross. He had saved
him from being discharged by the
board. His instructions were always to
give the wheat or the owners the benefit
of any doubt that might arise as to the
grade of wheat, and he followed out
these instructions to the letter.
Under the cross examination by Mr..
Severance the witress emphatically de.
MED that he had ever practiced any dis.
elimination against Barnes, Thompson
& Co., as testified to by Mr.. Cross. He
produced papers signed by various firms
in Duluth corroborating his statement.
State Inspector Clausen was recalled
and examined for an hour or more on
the rules Of the inspection department.
and if they were strictly enforced. He
thought the rules were as strict as could
be made under the law.
A. D. Thompson, a grain commission
man of Duluth, was put upon the stand
and he and Mr.. Erwin occupied thu
rest of the afternoon. The attorney
wanted to find out the true inwardnesi
of the pit, but Mr.. Thompson did MOI
give him much satisfaction.
At s o'clock adjournment was taken
Screenings Shipped At Midnight.
ST. PAUL, June 6.-Edwin McManus
chief weigher at Duluth, was put on tn
stand, and an hour spent in listening K
his methods of weighing. In the cros
examination by Mr.. Erwin the witness
said that when he first went into Office
two years ago he heard of some vessel
that were loaded at Duluth being shor
at Buffalo. He had some correspon
nence from the officials at Buffalo show
ing that about TOO vessels had bee1
short at that place during the two yeaz
hs has been in Office. The shortage q
IN average was about 40 pounds in 100
bushels. Ono vessel was short 600 bush
els. Mr.. Severance asked that Juliu
Smith be brought up from Buffalo h
answer few questions, ~ he was tn
man who had been making the charge
Of shortages. The matter was laid ove
until the contents of Mr. McHanus' COZ
respondence can be ascertained. s,S:<, u,
The witness further said that The loa
by shortage while the grain was beinl
transported b4 the lakes did not fl
upon the people Of this state, but upo
the vessel owners. - #a. ts&.
| II. Thomas, agent Of the Nonther,
| Pacific and the South Shore and Altar