The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1903-08-12
BY AIKEN g. SCHMAHL.
TWIN CITY LETTER.
Continued from third page

bacame well-known by the elevator
crews and sometimes on friendly
terms with them. In such cases it
was common for the elevator crews
to send a sweeper on an errand-to
a store for tobacco or to saloon for
pail of beer-and as a compensa-
ton would leave a little more wheat
in the car which they were unload
ing. 1t was not uncommon for a
bushel of wheat to be left in car
as a reward for such service. Then
again the broom brigade got to
stealing wheat from loaded cars
whenever they found one with a
door open. Places were located in
the city where business was made
of buying the wheat taken from
cars in this way. 1t was also found
that the brigade had kind of or
ganization for mutual protection,
and when a man was caught steal
ing it was noticed that someone
nearby was acting as sentinel.
The railroad and warehouse COM
mission tried for years to induce
the railroad companies to protect
the yards in the night time by watch
men, but failed, the railroads init
mating plainly that they would
rather pay such damages for steal
ing as they might be held respon-
sible for, than pay the expense of
watchmen. The commissioners also
tried to induce the city of Minneap-
oils to exercise police control over
the elevator district; but many of
the tracks were outside the police
limit, and what was still worse, the
district extends some fifteen miles
around through the fringe of the
city. AS a last alternative the COM
mission induced the Minneapolis
city council to prohibit by ordi-
nance the sweeping of cars within
the city limits. 1t then organized a
detective bureau of three or four
men, giving them power to arrest
everyone caught in the act of sweep
ing cars. Arrests followed rapidly,
resulting in conviction and punish
ment, and as a consequence the bri-
gade has been routed and complaints
OF petty shortages in weights of
cars have diminished perceptibly.
The last legislature passed a law
against car sweeping, which, though
not so broad in its scope as was
hoped for will bring additional re-
lief to the situation.
1t ought to be a satisfaction to
shippers of grain to know that the
complete record of every car of
grain handled by the state grain
department is preserved indefinite
ly. 1t can be told by the records
on file when a given car reached
the terminal, when and by whom it
was inspected, what it graded, it's
general condition, how much, when,
where and by whom it was weighed,
the number of the seal which fas-
tened it's doors, and every minute
particular pertaining to it, no mat
ter whether the car was received
yesterday or five years ago.
The sentiment among grain grow
ers and shippers which was re-
sponsible for the law giving the
state supervision of the weighing
and inspection of grain was reason
able and natural, and the operation
OF the law has been so generally
satisfactory that no one wishes to
have the law repealed.
Should any GAZETTE reader desire
any information concerning the de-
partment not given in this CORE
spondence he has only to make his
desire known and the information
will be cheerfully given through
these columns or by letter
W. M. T.