Willmar tribune., 1900-10-20
complaints as to northwestern grades .

NO Sill 1nefe ndVe~Deen no. COM
plants of any such character. No COM
plants have come from New York.
Liverpool, or any other world market.
nor have L heard the slightest dis
satisfaction from any such source. On
the other hand, New York and Liver
pool prices on Minnesota and Dakota
wheat through the present crop year
prove the opposite, as was conclusively
shown by the statistics of the depart
ment the other day-namely, that our
wheat as compared with like grades
from other sections and countries was
never in such high value as it is this
year. Our contract grade No, L.
northern Duluth has not only ranoed
higher than other CORRESPONDING con-
tract grades, but uniformly SO. This
shows the confidence in which Minne-
sofa inspection is held by the worlds
markets. It shows that the character
OF our grain and the integrity of our
grades is fully recognized abroad. I
think that any attack on Minnesota
wheat inspection at the present time
would be great and serious mistake.''
Former Inspection Investigated and
Condemned.
On January 3, 1899, Representative
Jacobson, a prominent republican
member of the last Legislature, intro
duced resolution calling for an in
vestigation of the former department
OF State Grain Inspection, the resolu-
tion beginning as follows:
Whereas, it has been freely charged
during the last campaign that the de-
partment of grain inspection has be-
come corrupt; that the inspection has
been conducted in the interest of the
buyer as against the shipper and pro-
ducers; that grain would be inspected
in as No. 2 or 3 and inspected out as
NO. l; that the dockage has been un-,
reasonable, unjust and excessive: that
the department has employed incompe-
tent and corrupt men as inspectors. -
etc., etc.
The Legislature was strongly repub-
lican and the committee appointed to
investigate republican inspection was
likewise republican.
After an exhaustive investigation,
the committee reported:
'eWe find from the evidence produced:
I. That the grading Of wheat has not
been uniform; that prior to the month
Of October, the new crop Of wheat had
not been graded solely on it's merits, it
being the policy Of the inspection do.
partment to give lower grades than
later.
z. That the system of appeal from
inspectors decision is impractiabIe and
Of little benefit.
3. That it appears that some of the
inspectors have been incompetent or
careless.
4. That the weighing Of grain at the
terminals is carried on in a loose
manner.
From the Investigation had before
this committee, it clearly appears to
this committee that wheat inspections
have not been uniform throughout the
year; that the grading Of wheat has
been rigid during; the first three or
four weeks of each season, and
less rigid during the balance of the
year, and WE CANNOT IN TOO STRONG
LANGUAGE CONDEMN THIS PRACTICE.
as it must necessarily result in GREAT
LOSS TO THE PRODUCER, from the fact
that large proportion of the crop has
been marketed before the change takes
place, and on all wheat sold prior to
that time, THE LOSS MUST NEcEs-
sARlLv FALL ON THE PRODUCER.
No good reasons have been produced
by the department Of inspection in the
testimony taken before your COM
mittee, to convince this committee
that the system in vogue in the de-
partment can result in anything but
dead loss to the producer, and must
necessarily be to the advantage Of the
buyer. To prove this we quote the fol-
lowing testimony" ~
The first evidence was the tacit ad-
mission of the late republican Chief
Inspector, A. G. Clausen. The latter
was put on the stand and asked to ex-
plain the following charge: ':That
early in the season the inspections
made by your inspectors was very se-.
we're against the producer, and that
| subsequently, later in the season,
somewhere about the middle of October,
and from that on, much more liberal
grades were given.' Clausen's ex-
plantations were not satisfactory to the
committee Of investigation, and con-
tanned such admissions as these: (pp.
s5-7sAppendix House Journal, 1899.
1 1 sa.S'A I will concede that statement
is true to a. certain extent, but it is
j true of every crop OF wheat we have
ever handled since the department
started in 1885. 5.s,.
"A. l thought ] made myself clear