St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-02
AFTER LOST GRAIN.
The Wheat Investigation Re-
commenced on Another
New Tack.
Senator Sevatson Says the
Farmer Is Robbed in the
Transit.
Are the Official Scales Manip-
ulated in Weighing.
Grain ?
Will the Committee Attempt
to Go Below the
Surface.

The senate grain investigating COM
mittee appointed under the Sevatson
resolution began its work yesterday
and held double session. lasting the
greater part of the day. The purpose
of the investigation. as outlined i'll the
resolution, is:
80 inquire into the shipping and
handling of grain in this state with the
object in view of bringing to the notice
of the railroad companies the complaint
Of shippers of grain, and at the same
time give the railroad companies an op-
portunity TO show to the shippers Of
grain and the people, if they choose to
do so, that they are at present doing all
that is reasonable to handle eXpedlt'-
ouSly and with all reasonable care the
grain entrusted to them for shipment;
and whether their charges are reasona-
BILE according 10 their risk as common
carriers, charging as they now do Oh the
weight of grain, and not on the value,
as they usually do on other kinds OF
freight, and whether cars are equltably
distributed to individual shippers"
The committee is made up of Senators
Seyatson, Craven, Dean, Dedon and
TaWney, all of whom were present with
several witnesses yesterday, including
Weighmaster Reese. j. j. Redding, the
county attorney Of Window, Cotton
wood county, conducted the eXamlna-
ton.
Ine suggestion of Senator Dean to
notify the railroads so that they might
ho Va rnprasnntafiUp mot with 0nnnSl-
ton from Senator SevatSOn, who de-
clared that it is the purpose to show
that the grain was stolen from cars in
transit or in the Minneapolis yards. lie
further said
This we do not believe to be any
fault OF the state grain commission;
they simply. weigh what they find in the
ears. We think it is the duty of the
railroad to protect shippers against
such losses, and that they should be re-
sponsible for losses that do occur. We
will prove that the railroads not only do
not protect their shippers. but that they
do not want to hear of any losses. A
certain railroad man told me that if
OsSes While cars are OH track III yards
we're reported, the employee so reporting
would be bounced This is because
;he railroads would be held responsible
.Or such losses"
James c. Kane, of Minneapolis, stated
hat he had frequently found cars un-
sealed. He is deputy weigher, and
detailed his duties to the committee.
He also said that leaky cars had often
been discovered and reported to the
:ailroad companies.
State Weighmaster Reese testified that
he broken seals ran about one car in a
Ipnh lint ~ mi nti inn Il
mitted that they might be more fire.
qUent. lie stated that there are fifty
Two places at which grain is weighed.
at the request of Senator TaWney Mr..
Reese will examine his books and re-
port the proportion of cars that were
leaky. The remedy proposed by MI
Reese for shortage is to empty more
wa,thmen. Mr.. Reese explained the
course pursued III shipping cars from
ihe elevator to the conSignee, and stated
that in case of shortage report Of the
faCt,AGa made TO the shipper In re-
Spouse TO a question by Senator Dean,
Mr.. Reese said that the Weigher arbi-
trates between the shipper and the rail
ROAD company in case of shortage, and
lhat the railroad is not responsible for
more grain than the weigher finds in
he car or for any leakage or shortage
discovered.
Late in the afternoon S. o. Taggert. a
grain buyer at Bingham Lake, was put
Oh the stand. He attributed shortages
TO leakage as much as TO any other
ding. On his shipments there was an
average shortage of five bushels car.
He said he always examined ears before
loading and that it frequently hap
peDed that leakage was reported to him
q n n "a
miles distance. He bought gram on the
Omaha line and said the ',leaky" cars
were mostly foreign cars, the majority
Of which came from the Northwestern.
Fhe Omaha had lever practiced dis
elimination to his knowledge.
MI. Taggar5s solution Of the difficulty
IS track scales along the line requiring
the company to weigh and receipt for
the grain and be responsible for the de-
livery of the amount receipted for.
l.. 3. Berry, of Minneapolis, scale
expert in the employ OF the state weigh
ing department, was called.
lie said he had been in the business
.hrty-hve years. His business is the
examination of scales the state uses for
he weighing OF grain that comes to
Minneapolis. He makes two tests a
rear usually, and, when there is dis
repancy between weights, ne exam
mes the scales in dispute. He thought
here was very little opportunity for
he manipulation of scales and that
shortages were not due to such a
cause. Mr.. Berry said he had
Ound but one case OF manipulation
u scales during his four years. service
Il this state. That was in st. Paul. He
said track scales were not reliable in
rainy, snowy or thawing weather, unless
they are properly put i'll and housed; he
would not want to either buy or sell al
track scale weights, taken by train men
AS an illustration, he said, in thawing
weather water occasionally trickleS
down a scale track, forming an icicle
Il. a. L..