The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-25
UNFAIR GRADING OF WHEAT.


complains OF Faiouse Farmers Against
spokane and Tacoma Dealers.
.RosAIIA, Dec. 2I-TSpecial. There 10
great indignation Throughout, the Palouse
country because Of the high-handed out
RACES perpetrated by certain grain dealers
of Tacoma. and If these methods are con-
tinued the city Of Density is likely to lose
large portion of its grain trade IN the flu
ture. While il is not denied that there is
a large amount of grain of low grades
shipped from hero to Sound points. yet
there is larger amount OF good wheat.
wheat that should grade No. in any mar
ket, and when the very beat wheat is
graded in Tacoma a. rejected" there is .
kick made by dealers and growers alike.
1t has been strongly suspected that there
has been unfairness in the grading of
wheat at Tacoma for some time, and now
the local dealers are sure Of ii, for the evil
dence is so strong that IL cannot be
doubted. A case Of this kind came to
light in Spokane and it is now thought
that the same methods are pursued in Ia
coma. The case referred to is of NJ. w.
Merritt. an extensive farmer living near
Rosalia. Mr.. Merritt shipped . carload Of
his best wheat to the Centennial
mills at Spokane. The wheat had
been carefully sorted and only No. 1
wheat was shipped. Accordingly Mr..
Merritt was greatly surprised to receive .
letter from the mill company, stating that
the wheat was damp and understandable
and they could only allow a small price
for II. Mr.. Merritt could not believe this,
so he boarded the train and went to Spo-
kane to investigate. He found that the
seal of the car had never been broken, and
the wheat was perfectly dry and merchant
able. 1t had never been examined, and
the mill company had made the report to
Mr.. Merritt without examining the wheat.
expecting he would accept the small sum
offered for the wheat. They readily paid
him the price agreed upon before the
wheat was shipped.
A case very similar comes from Tacoma
and confirms the suspicious that the
methods of the Spokane Mill Company is
being followed in Tacoma II. l. Morse.
Z. L. Morris aud three other extensive
farmers whose names the Posr-IsTBLLI-
eENcER correspondent could not learn.
each shipped a car iosd of wheat to Ia
coma dealers through the warehouse of
Wilmer & Dryer, of Rosaiia- These farm
ers, as we'll as the warehousemen, were very
careful in loading the wheat, testing each
sack before loading it and loading nothing
but the best and dryest grain, grain that
would grade mo. 1" in any market.
Messrs. Wilmer & Dryer say that Mr..
Morse's carload was Is good wheat as ever
left their warehouse, while none Of the
five carloads contained anything but
strictly "No. 1" wheat Thirty.four cents
was the price to be paid for this wheat and
the farmers a. well as the warehousemen
were greatly astonished when they were
notified that the wheat had been graded
in Tacoma as rejected" and IL cents was
all the Tacoma dealers would pay Tor the
wheat. Your correspondent was shown
some of the wheat, which was dry and
hard and perfectly free from smut. frost
and dirt. This act is considered . plain
steal, and the local dealers threaten to
boycott Tacoma and ship their grain to
Seattle and Portland.
This 10 only one of . number Of cases. In
fact this has been going on all fall and
many cases almost as glaring have been
reported during the season. Such unfair
dealings viii ruin the markets of this
country as well as that of Tacoma, for the
dealers and farmers here cannot and viii
not stand such actions.