Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-12-04
NATIONAL GRAIN Law
Federal INSPECTION BUREAU IS
PROPOSED.
Senator MCCumber, OF North Dakota,
will Introduce Measure In Con.
qreSS-ThinkS Proper GradinqS
as Urgent as Government InspeC.
tlOn Of Neat.

Washington, Nov. Dec. 1.-The eff.
fort to secure the enactment of ma.
tional grain inspection law will he
renewed at the coming session Of con-
gress. The author Of bill Of this
character is Senator McCumber, Of
North Dakota, and he gathers good
deal Of encouragement from the fact
that large number of letters and Pc
titions indorsing the scheme have re-
Gently been received in Washington.
In this senator's opinion, the federal
inspection of grain that is shipped
from state to state or is exported is a
highly important matter, both to the
producer and to the exporter.
State grain inspection is frequently
inefficient, Mr.. McCumber thinks, and
we have more than once been remind
ed of this from abroad. The United
States consul at Marseilles, France,
some time ago, declared that French
importers were "hardly in the mood"
to consider any further purchases of
American wheat because of the "care-
lessness Of American Inspectors" The
consul cited an instance in which 49,
900 tons of red winter wheat shipped
from Southern port of the United
States was rejected in France because
the grain did not conform to the certi
fed description given by the inspect
ing authorities a. the port of depart
ure. The cargo was sacrificed at 8
cents bushel less than the price it
should have bre ught. European buy
ers," concluded this consul, find the
American system Of inspection admira.
BILE in theory but unsatisfactory in
practice"
Senator McCumber believes there is
as much necessity for national grain
inspection law as there is for a ma.
tional meat inspection law. Russia
has recently put in force strict sys.
tenn Of grain inspection at ports Of
shipment.
II introduced bill three or four
years ago." said Senator MoCumber,
merely as basis for discussion. 1t
has been very generally approved. It
is my intention to appear before the
senate committee on agriculture early
in the coming session and ask for ia
vorable report. have no doubt the
senate will pass the bill.
Senator McCumber says the govern
ment inspection Of meats has had a
salutary effect on the export trade in
packing house products, and he ex-
presses the opinion that If grain were
inspected under government auspices
the American farmer and exporter
would be gamers thereby.
Provisions of the Bill.
"The bill provides, continued the
senator, "for inspection and grading to
be fixed and determined by the score
tsry of agriculture, the grades to Gen.
form as nearly as practicable to the
present commercial grades in different
sections. Inspectors would be sta
toned at the principal grain markets.
One admirable feature Of the proposed
system would be the absence Of the po-
litical influences which now impair
the efficiency Of grain inspection in
some of the states. Inspectors would
be appointed upon certificstion of the
civil service commission, and they
would be transferred from time to time
in order that they might not become
subject to local influences. The mea-
sure would insure uniform and proper
grading Of grains, more just and scien-
tito inspection; it would satisfy the
farmer in that he would have conf
denoe in the grading and weight which
he received. and also inspire confidence
in the foreign purchaser.
cit is a notorious fact that the for
eign buyer has no confidence in our
grades, and that the farmer has no con-
fdence in our state inspectors. Both
know that in the cities of Minneapolis
and Duluth wheat is purchased at a
low grade and shipped out at a high
grade. Under the present system all
cases of doubt are resolved against the
producer. OF course, there is opposi-
tion to the bill, coming mainly from
purchasers.
Case on puget Sound.
An example of what was believed to
be faulty grain inspection occurred in
the state of Washington two years ago,
and it attracted good deal Of atten.
ton. Parts of two cargoes of oats pur-
chased by the war department and
shipped to the Philippines were found
to be musty on their arrival at Manila
Thereupon the quartermaster general
declared with some feeling that he
would never purchase any more oats
on Puget sound unless convinced that
the oats were properly seasoned. This
incident threatened some damage to
the producers and dealers. The quar-
termsster general, whether rightly or
wrongly, always maintained that the
poor oats were shipped because of
faulty inspection at Seattle.
Presents Silver Service.
Philadelphia, Dec. AT the League
leland navv vard Gov pappvpackor