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

Their aided in its duties by Henry Plow-
man, the sergeant-at-arms of the house
of representatives, by which officer
the several mandates were executed.
The several interests involved, in one
form or another, in the work of the
committee were represented by counsel
as follows: The Grain Growers aSso-
citation by Messrs. Erwin q Wellington !;
the Lake Superior and Union Improve
ment Elevator companies by Davis,
Kellogg q Severance; the several ele-
vator companies at Minneapolis by
John L. McGhee; the state inspection
and weighing department by Hon. A.
q. Clausen, chief grain inspector.
At the outset the committee was
pleased 10 adopt very liberal rules as to
the admissaOility of evidence, and en-
deavored to afford every opportunity to
any one who felt so disposed to appear
and testify before it. Neither time nor
expense was spared in securing the
presence of witnesses deemed by any of
the interests involved in the in
vestigation important to the ascer-
tainment of the truth. The adop
ton Of such policy necessa-
rily resulted in encumbering the record
with large amount of irrelevant and
immaterial matter which has tended to
rather conceal than to disclose the
truth. Although this result was fore
seen at the commencement OF its labors,
it was deemed lnjudicious to adopt any
other course.
Cleaning Cars.
A large part of the time of the COM
mittee was devoted to an investigation
of the charge that the elevator COM
panies at Duluth had been grossly neg
ligent in cleaning out cars in which
grain had been shipped to their houses,
and that, thereby, serious loss had re-
suited to the shippers.
As a result Of its investigation as to
this charge, the committee finds that
during the earlier years OF the state in
Spection service proper care was not at
all times exercised in cleaning out
cars in which wheat had been
shipped to the warehouses at
Duluth; there is no evidence, however.
which indicates that this fact involved
either the integrity or sound business
management of the companies operat-
ing those houses. Furthermore, IT suf-
ficiently appears that as soon as the at
tention of such companies was called to
the subject appropriate measures were
adopted TO correct the evil. The com
mittee have no reason to believe that of
late years any substantial grounds for
complaint have existed to any consider
able extent.
Evidence was introduced tending to
show that at times, and especially our
ing the press of business at the height
of the shipping season, the said com
panies at Duluth were also careless in
cleaning the floors of such warehouses
after cars bad been unloaded; and it is
not unlikely that in some instances
shippers may have suffered to some ex-
tent. 1t is not the opinion of the COM
mittee, however. that any serious loss
ever resulted TO the shipper from this
source, or that it was a matter OF much
gain to the elevator companies.
Secret Shipping.
A very serious charge was preferred
against the Lake Superior Elevator
company and the Union improvement
and Elevator company, of Duluth,
based upon an alleged fraudulent ship
ment from those houses in 1886 and sub
sequent years of large amount of
wheat. aggregating some 300,000 BUSH
els. This was by far the most serious
charge involved in the work of the CON-
mIttee. from the magnitude Oh Cne
charge and the fact that it was
made the basis of an investigation
by committee appointed for
that purpose by the last house of rep
resentatiyes and sustained by ma
jority report of that committee, the
present committee felt called upon to
conduct most thorough and careful in
vestlgation with references thereto. 1t
is no reflection upon SAID house commit
tee that its results as to such charge are
at variance With tirose at which the
present committee has arrived. The
house committee was necessarily linn
tied in time, and more or less handi-
capped by various and exacting legis-
lative dutieS.-
That the question might be Invested
of doubt, the present committee en-
ployed the services of skilled and ex-
perienced expert bookkeepers and ac-
countants, and directed them to make
accurate examinations of the books, not
only of the elevator companies OF Du-
Iuth, but also of the state inspection and
weighing departments, the railway
companies handling grain to and from
that point,and likewise to seek informa-