The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-09-07
GOVERNMENT 10
INSPECT GRAIN
Will Be a Task Fully as Large
as That Of Meat In
spection.
SCIENCE FOR JUDGMENT
Grain Will Be Graded by Scientific
Methods, and the Wheat Raisers
Of the Great Northwest Will
Get an Honest Price.

Washington. Sept. 5.-Scientifs in
spection II grading OF grains. which
will eliminate the elements Of guess
work and speculation, and, it is freely
charged, fraud that have entered into
this business. is soon to be established
by the department of agriculture.
1t will be another task fully as large
as that Of meat inspection lately inn
posed. Congress at it's recent session
appropriated an item of $4,000 for
making Investigations to determine a
scientific method of grading and in
speeding grain, SO hat uniformity shall
be established, and so that American
inspection shall mean the same as in
Spectlon in other countries; also end
especially with reference to assuring
that the grain raiser shall get an hon-
est grading and be paid what his grain
is really worth.
The business of grading grains is
practically a monopoly, at present, Of
the state OF Minnesota, because the
great primary wheat markets are in
that state. In a sensational speech last
winter Senator McCumber, of North
Dakota, whose constituents are wheat
growers. shipping to the markets Of
Minneapolis and Duluth, declared tina
the inspection of the state OF Minnesota
was utterly worthless and dishonest,
and that by it wheat raisers were
robbed of many millions annually.
McCumber Caused Sensation.
The senator made some remarkable
statements. He ave the record of GER
tain elevators, year by year, showing
that many millions more of low grade
grains went into them than came out.
The explanation was that grain was
undergraded In buying, and therefore
the raiser got less thar it was worth;
when sold, 1t was graded fully up to
Its real character and frequently above.
AS a result, American grades are dis
counted abroad, and honestly graded
American wheat brings less in Europe
than equally good wheat from other
countries, because the presumption is
against an one grading of the Amer
lean goods, and prices on it are made
With reference to this.
The McCumber speech caused a great
sensation. and largely as a result of it
the $4,000 appropriation was put into
the agricultural appropriation bill. I'M
der this Secretary Wilson has named
two experts to conduit experiments and
Investigations. They are Leslie f. Fitz.
who will do his work at Baltimore, and
Clyde e. Leighty, who will be sta
toned at New Orleans.
Grain inspection and grading is now
a matter of guessing, Individual judg-
ment. and personal opinion. One mar
is liable to rate a given car as on one
grade. and another as of another. EX-
perience, however, has led to the de-
ductlon Of the general rule that the in
spector will never grade it too high
when he is buying, or too low when,
selling.
Science Instead of Judgment.
Scientific apparatus is now proposed
to be substituted for his hit-or-miss
method. To determine, for instance.
the proportion of moisture a device has
been invented that will answer the
question accurately in fifteen minutes.
Any apparatus heretofore used re-
CURED about a day and was not sc
accurate; and anyhow, it wasn't used
by the inspectors.
The movement for federal supervi-
sion of the whole business of inspect
ing and grading grain is g>ining
strength as a result of the Develop
ments In the inquiry into the grain
elevator business. and also because OF
these experiments in scientific grading.
There is li.tle dou now that leglsla-
ton will be pressed in the next con-
gress, by the senators and congress-
men from the grain states, to have
this whole business put under a bu-
reau of the department Of agriculture
In this way alone, they say. can honest
and uniform grades be obtained. Sem
ator McCumber is prepared to press
the matter and will return to the attack
next session with new facts and figures
for the argument.
The department of agriculture is fast
getting to be one of the very hi. vest
and most powerful of the government.
The pure food and meat inspection
laws have made it the Intermediary
between the o manufacturers and
the table, the guardian of the health Of
everybody who eats, the special police
to prevent crime, the detective depart
ment to prevent fraud in o prepara-
lions. Now it is in a fair way to take
on the additional duty of standing be-
tween The raiser and the merchant In
grain, TO enforce the square lea be-
tween them. Grain inspection would,
IL once established, as it is almost GER
tain to be. soon become one of the most
important bureaus of the entire gov
eminent.
SELL STANFORD JEWELS