The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-10-25
A Few Facts Concerning This
Department Under the
Republican Rule.
Extravaganza Along All Lines
Is Noted Under the
Management.
The Farmers of the Entire
Northwest are Chiefly
the Sufferers.

There exists to-day in the state grain
weighing department of Minnesota 4
condition of affairs which the Irish
\ Standard believes it a duty to brin.
to the attention of the voters as far as
possible in order that they may be in
formed of what is going on before cast.
1 ing their ballots on November 4th 1t
will be remembered that during the adj
ministration of Governor Lind the an
nual report of State Weighmaster
u O'Brien, which annual report is due
any time after September LIST Of each
year, was issued long before election
in the year 1000, so that the farmers
and all others interested would be
able to judge from the facts and
figures presented just what the depart.
ment was doing This year, although
/ ample time has been given, no report
has yet been issued by the presen:
State Weighmaster, T.. Z. Quist. or
course, there is 4 good reason for this,
it being evident that Il complete report
at this time would not compare very
favorably with that of the state
weighmastcr during the Lind admins
tration.
However, it has been learned by The
Irish Standard from reliable sources
that the department at the present
time is being conducted in an eXtrava-
CANT manner, and that the farmers ~
particular are the greatest sufferers
In 1901 at the close of the Lind ad
ministation there were employed iii
the weighing department mt Mime
apOliS Il total force of "a men,. Snca
that time weighing in the yards has
been discontinued, making Il reduction
of three wr%hrrS. l'ut eight new Gle
vators We're built which would make
ii necessary to rHl'rge the force to ;
total altogether of - employees. The
report for the second quarter this ycnr
shows that Is men We're then en-.
plOycd. ana since that time we have
been informed that several more
have been added. presumably for 20
lticaI reasons.
When the present railway and ware
house commission came into office they
at once attempted to have their salaries
raised from $1,000 to S3G d. but wore
unsuccessful. Tho stcno@raphcr in tho
office of the state weigllmnStcr whose
salary was $3.50 per month was raised
to $40 In connection with this it may
be we'll to state that the lady is Il sis
ter to one of the members of the
state railway and warehouse commits
sion. "
Regarding the personnel of the de-
partment, it is also well to state that
under the Lind administration % of
the employees of the weighing depart
ment were old soldiers At the pres
ent time, notwithstanding the high re
gard in which the boys in blue ar
supposed to he held by the G. o. T.,
the number of G. \. II. men has been
reduced to 10.
The service given by the department
is also very inferior to that of the
Lind administration. When John Lind
Z was governor, every shortage reported
was carefully looked into even to tho
smallest amount, and If such shortage
was found to exist, the farmer or the
shipper was given the relief. even
though the shortage did not exceed a
pound in weight, but rs soon as the
present Republican commission came
into power, they passed rule that no
complaint would receive any consider
alton Mt their hands unless the short.
age amounted to ut least 500 pounds
of any kind of grain. In other words,
I if a farmer or shipper, finding that
there was a difference of any amount
up to 500 pounds between the figures
that were given him ut the point he
shipped his grain and the figures Of
the Minneapolis mills or elevators, TIL.
farmer or shipper could get absolutel:
no relief and was compelled to stand
! the loss. This is nice state of affairs,
isn't it?
Then again. the fact that state
weights have been abolished ut all the
railroad yards also places the far
mer and every one else who has hay or
oats or any such commodity to sell
completely at the mercy Of the feed
Dealers and they must accept the
weights that are given them. These
are only few of the abuses of the
rights Of the farmers and shippers
that have been practiced since the
Lind administration went out Of power.
AS to running expenses of the depart.
ment at the present time the public
will have to be content to wait for this
information until Weighmaster Quist
sees fit to issue his annual report,
which will perhaps be Forthcoming ar
y ter election.
The Mad Mullah is again on the
war path against the British invaders