The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-14
INSPECTOR IN THE WRONG.
50 CLAIMS HORTICULTURAL COM
MISSIONER BAKER.
Makes = Long Statement Concerning
the Recently Published Account
of DisaGreements netween the
state and County officials.

J. e. Baker. state horticultural commits
sioner, last night made the following
statement to the Post-Intelligence re-
garding the position taken on fruit in
Siection by Inspector Brown, Of this
county:
"The legislature Of 1897 enacted a horti-
cultural law which was radical change
six years previous. inasmuch as It SUBJ
stituted county inspection for state In
spection by a state board of its deputies.
made is in the case Of appeal from the
decision Of county inspector to the
commissioner OF horticulture OF the state,
who Is the executive head OF this depart
ment, and whose decisions are final until
set aside by the courts.
ut is necessary to make this explana-
Wh f1e IS sa s
prevails, and responsibility is attached to
this office for decisions of county inspect
ors when no appeal has been mage tna
ruling OF this office that car loads of
trees are to be destroyed II a few are
found infected. as the Inspector of King
county Is reported to have announced
that his course Will be; to which would
reply, without going deeper into the mat
er nat e H. any yes suca decision S Is
provision Is made in the horticultural
law for the destruction of property when
for the safety Of the fruit In
told more force to the disinfection Of In
fccted goods; Wholesale destruction is
certainly not contemplated when d ts n
case, however, has to stand upon its
merits, according to the pest In question.
the degree of infection. and the law so
Amy naturalist will bear me out in the
assertion that there is hardly any class
of knowledge of which. people generally
are so ill.informed as that. Of insect life:
The exhibition of few badly infested
specimens Of nursery stock therefore cre-
ates sensation. 1t. was probably in
the best were selected for that purpose
but 1t does not necessarily follow that
car loads Of such are brought into this
instance. to obtain a lot OF 1000 peach
trees in which an expert would not be
able to find some peach borer. even
O. loose condition before packing, as Is
the practice among many dealers. 1t 10
the duty of the. county Inspector. as an
and reject those infested. That Is what
he is for. II the number Of infested trees
is large the dealer is liable to heavy PEN
tested in SO large a lot 1t Is accepted as
toned.
with regard to the trees from North
Yakima affected with crown gals. which
was mentioned by the King county In
spector IN the post-Intelligencer OF De-
account OF the matter that there was no
appeal made by the dealer or any other
party for my decision. Incidentally in
conversation I sustained the decision of
the inspector, who seemed to wish infor-
nation on the subject, and with that end
In view ! carried TO him two works treat.
this office. When arrived upon the
ground he had employed a. deputy to sort
out the affected trees, which he now re-
right in doing so. He now seems to regret
that he did not destroy the entire con-
signment In which the affected trees were
found. which would likewise include the
destruction of the entire nursery where
the trees We're grown, according to his
latest view of the case.
Il do not indorse such q course of ruth
less violence, nor does any competent
authority and refer any one interested in
the. subject to. the publications Of the
United States department of agriculture,
Cornell university agricultural experiment
station and other United States expert
ment stations that have published on this
subject.
with regard to the wenatchee incl
dent alluded to In the same article 1t also
seems to answer Itself, as the King coun-
out of his Jurisdiction. and che law espe-
cially provides that inspection shall be
made at the points to which the goods
Of the respective counties who were duly
informed by this office of the shipment
of the stock, which was consigned to a
number of counties In Eastern Washing
ton. Now. as the law does not give the
commissioner of horticulture a right to in
spect except In case of appeal nor does 1t
give him authority to deputize county in
spector to inspect outside of his own coun-
ty.. and legal council have. 80 advised me.
Ii is difficult to see how blame can be at
tached to this office, because the King
county inspector has COMPOUNDED Eastern
washington with King county where he
wise against accepting infested stock and
Neither you nor l have authority to in
spect at Wenatchee. which was all the
law gave me authority to do. To conduct
the business of the state uniawfully would
render it liable to damages, as it does in
the case of an Individual.
"All serious cases of traffic In infested
stock reported to this Office will be prose-
cuted without delay, yet 1t must be borne
in mind that It depends almost entirely on
the reports of the county inspectors for
evidence OF these offenses and the prompt
ness with which they make these assists
materially In effecting the punishment of
'"rhere is no doubt of the benefits which
result from the enforcement of this law.
especially to fruit RI ,s growers nurserymen
The result is to obtain fair dealing. to pro-
tect people from buying inferior and injuri-
Gus goods.
''It is a well known law in economics
that the presence of inferior goods cheap
ems the price of superior ones, hence It Is
good horticulture to keep, the inferior and
infectious wholly out of the market. AS
matter Of fact. all prominently engaged In
the business heartily support the plan of
to stay: yet this office. being In part a
court OF appeal. and expected to hold the
balance true between contending parties.
one-sided views which lack confirmation,
regarding matters of Infection. From the
very nature OF the case It must be seen
that necessarily friction will arise in work
of this character, yet the one have al
luded to. which from the county inspectors
sonal one of which was entirely ienor-
ant until 7 saw the matter In print. Is the
only one that has arisen or been brought
m Duhlic attention since the establishment