The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-06-11
WHEAT INVESTIGATION.
COMMITTEE BUsILY LOOKING INTO
THE CHARGES OF FRAUD.

COMMITTEE BUSILY LOOKING INTO
THE CHARGES OF FRAUD.
Inspector Clausen Explains Methods Of
Inspecting-ReasoDs for Some of His
Acknowledgements Points In Testi-
mony Given Before the House Commit
tee Denied.
ST. PAUL, June 4.-Testimony in the
elevator investigation was unimportant
until Inspector Clausen was put upon
the stand. Mr.. Erwin's attempt to show
that the railway and warehouse CON-
mission had been derelict in their han
ding Of the grain business aroused
Chief Inspector Causen, who called at
tention to the fact that the present
grain law was defective. in many re-
spects; that no one realized it more than
the railway and warehouse commission,
who had attempted at the last three SEES
sions of the legislature to secure amend
atory legislation, but had failed. He
also showed that the rules and regula-
tions established by the commission
were based upon the provisions of the
grain law, and that the methods Of the
business to which Mr.. Erwin objected
were really specific provisions Of the
law, and
Could Not Be Ignored
nor altered except by the legislation
proposed by the commission. Mr..
Clausen in his testimony also stated that
in no other market in this country did
the system of forwarding grain in the
dirt obtain, upon which Mr.. Erwin
asked his opinion as he said to the mer-
its of the system to which he replied
that he thought that all grain should be
sent forward to terminal markets in a
clean condition, and under the very best
conditions possible. That when the
grain inspection department took
charge, five or six years ago, about one
third of it was received in the dirt, two
thirds of the receipts being clean. To-
day it is a very rare sight to see a
cleaned car of grain. He ascribed the
change to the fact that farmers and
shippers in the country could not clean
the grain as probably as against the
light dockage placed upon it by the in
spectors. This was owing to the supe-
rior and finely adjusted machinery in
the terminal elevators, as against the
primitive tanning mill of the farmer.
The committee adjourned to meet in
the morning at 10 a. m.
Most Startling Testimony Before the
House Grain Committee Denied.
ST. PAUL, June Sin the elevator in
vestigation Mr.. Clausen was placed on
the stand again. He was given some
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 as No. Northern. Another sam
pie of grain which Mr.. Ario could not
even name proved to be kind of bar
ley raised in some parts of the state to
feed to stock.
Mr.. Clausen further explained the use
of special bins. When shipper has a
lot of wheat which is of extra fine quail
ity he has it stored by itself. In this
way, when shipped from the elevator,
he can have the advantage of having it
unmixed with an inferior quality of the
same grade, and thus, perhaps get a
higher price for it. AS the grain must
be delivered from the elevator at the
same grade given to it when it was
inspected in, regardless of improvement
by drying or cleaning, the Eastern
buyer would get all the benefit if it were
not for the special bin feature of the
system. Sometimes the grade is raised
by reinspection, but this entails some
expense. The owner of grain or his
authorized agent may obtain 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
spected.
William c. Weld, state weighman,
was put upon the stand. Mr.. Weld tes-
tilted before the house committee. Mr..
Weld said that it was not an uncommon
occurrence 70 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 state
weighman. He never heard of case
where more grain was weighed out for
a vessel than it could carry, that the
residue, after the vessel was loaded, was
not weighed back and credited to the
vessel. He had never known or heard
of 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
vessels are being loaded, in order that
leakages may be discovered. Witness
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 25 cents to
rs cents per bushel. Had sold ten times
as much at 25 cents as 70 cents.
Witness stated positively that II
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 bin
had never leaked. rs
Clark S. Fulton, chief deputy In
spector at Duluth, was next called as 8
witness, but nothing new or important
was elected.
The Trouble with Cross.
ST. PAUL, June &c, 5, Fulton wal
again called to the stand by the wheaa