St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-08

when thew first began to do business
under the provisions of the grain
and warehouse law they had in
their houses some $4,000 bushels of
wheat which had accumulated in trans
acting an extensive business prior 10
that date. 1t is the opinion OF the COM
mittee that it was the duty or the exc
vator companies to have caused TINS
wheat to have been Inspected INTO their
houses at the time they began 10 OPP
crate under state supervision. Inns
course however. was not pursued by
the companies, owing, it is fair to as
sume. to mistaken view OF their duty
under the law.
1t was also made to appear by good
and sufficient testimony that between
the first day of August, 1885. and the
first day of August. 1890, the SAID com
oanies accumulated a further average
of .2l3 bushels in handling 100000
bushels of wheat. This average repre-
sents one-quarter of an ounce per
bushel upon the amount handled by the
company between the said dates. 1t
further appears that the said companies
brought the fact of the last-named
average to the attention Of the rail-
road and warehouse commission
and thereupon obtained from that body
due notice to the state inspection and
weighing department at Duluth of such
excess of wheat without cancellation of
outstanding receipts. The committee
feel that if the old schedules prepared
by the men employed in the house COM
mittee might be received as unqueS-
toned evidence before it, they would
disclose the illicit shipment OF a
large quantity of grain from the
public warehouses at Duluth which
has not been explained away
by testimony adduced before 1t Tor tnat
purpose, but inasmuch as the committee
subjected said schedules to very
severe test early IN the session, and
thereby became convinced OF the I'M
reliability of such schedules as evil
denced from their very many proven
inaccuracies due TO the ineXperience of
the persons by whom they were pre-
pared and the statement made by Mr..
Erwin, the attorney for the Grain Grow
e ers' ASSOCIATION, when the said
schedules were under discus
sion. that be was perfectly willing
that the old schedules should be strick-
en- from the records, inaSmuch as they
had been proved unreliable. and had
been SUPERSEDED by the more accurate
schedules of the experts. The commlttee
now find that on account of the appar-
ent discrepancies the old schedules can
not properly and should not in justice
be regarded as proof of any fact.
TOning 1t Down.
The committee deem it proper to say.
touching the matter of the damaged
wheat in question. that the said elevator
companies incurred an expense of about
100000 in providing for the warehouse
receipts outstanding against tue same.
The committee fnd that the record as
a whole does not reflect upon the lnteg-
rity and efficiency of the state inspection
and weighing department. With very
rare exceptions the employees of the
far as the record diScloSeS to the con-
trary, are gentlemen of high character
and ability: and that in those instances
where the integrity of any of these
servants of the state has been drawn
in question, the testimony is too con-
flicting and ineoncluSive to warrant
the committee in finding such persons
guilty of bad faith in the performance
of their duties.
1t appears from the record of the
committee that complaints have fire.
Quently arisen on account OF what has
been deemed improper weighing and
docking of grain. The committee find
that after listening to testimony of wit
nesses OF large experience and unqueS-
toned Yeracity that such complaints,
while at times well founded, failed to
show any disposition on the part of in
SpectorS and weighmen to impose upon
or favor any interests whatever. There
is evidence which tends 10 show that
docking is at times excessive. AS the
amount of dockage to which shipment
of grain is to be subjected i'll a given
case is largely dependent upon human
Judgment. it will be always mat
ter of approximation, and the COM
mittee are unable TO find that there has
been any abuse of discretion to Serl-
Gus extent in tins regard. The witness.
Charles Canning, manof very large
experience both as producer and
commission merchant, testified that he
mad no fault to find with the state sery-
ice in that regard.
Shortages.
The attention of the committee was
called to a nuWber OF instances OF
grievances based upon shortage i'll
weights OF shipment made to public
warehouses. The committee find that
such complaints are frequently well
founded, but are not prepared TO say
that their number is out OF proportion
to the volume of business transacted.
Among the many causes to which
shrinkage and weight i'll shipments of
wheat NAV be attributed the following,
no doubt. constitute the more important,
as evidenced 10y reliable testimony:
Firs.-Shipment without weighing by the
local buyer.
Second-Weighing at place OF shipment
with small or defective scales.
Third-Mistakes necessarily incidental to
weighing on small scales, as where a draft is
inadvertently repeated.
Fourth-Defective coopering of the cars re-
sulting in leakage at times to marked
degree
Fifth-Abstraclions BIZ petty theft upon
cars en- route TO and ct destination.
SiXth-Change i'll atmospheric and climatic
conditions between places of shipment and
that of destination.
Seyenth-LoSt of moisture By grain.
Eightn--Defcctin scales at terminal points
1t is the opinion of the committee that
very few instances of such shortage
have arisen, which should not, if the
committee were III possession of all the
facts, be attributed 10 one OF more of
the aboye-named causes.
The committee finds that during the
year 1889 large quantity OF wheat was
shipped from the said public ware
houses at Duluth under the name of
screenings, tie amount so shipped ag-
gregating upwards of 10000 bushels.
The wheat so shipped was, no doubt,
the average of $1,000 bushels to which
attention mas already been called.
The committee is aware OF no evil
dence tending to show that any other
wheat than such average was ever
shipped in a clandeStine manner from
the said houses. The committee stud
iousIy endeayored to ascertain whether
or not it was a common practice of the
said companies to dispense or aver
age under the guiSe of screenings, and
arrived at the result above indicated.
Likewise 1t became maIte- of inter
est TO ascertain whether the said COM
panies have been or now are, reaping
excessive profits from the sale of
screenings. This. however. is not eS-
tabiished by the record. II is doubtless
true, that until quite recently, screen
ings were not source ot profit TO
elevator companies: the record dis
closing that formerly they We're either