The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-05-25
DULUTH FEARS
BANKERS EXPOSE
Board Of Trade Makes At.
tempt to Refute Charges By
Bankers Association.


as a result Of the exposures Of It's
methods made in the report submitted
by the committee from the North Da-
kota Bankers association. which re-
Gently investigated terminal wheat
shipping facilities at the head OF the
lakes, the Duluth board of trade Is
adopting means to present its side OF
the question to the farmers and grain
shippers of North Dakota. To do this
1t has printed a number of copies of
a communication which board pre-
pared as REPUTATION of the charges
made by the committee from the North
Dakota State Bankers association and
sent to the interstate commerce COM
mission. as vel! as numerous copies of
the resolution adopted by the legisla-
ture of Minnesota in answer to the
joint resolution passed last winter by
the North Dakota legislature, calling
attention to the defects in the inspec-
ton and weighing departments of
minnesota and in the general conduct
of the business at the head of the
lakes.
This literature the Duluth board of
trade. through its secretary, is dis
trTbuting among the prominent farm
ers and grain shippers of North Da-
kota, in an effort to show that every
thing in connection with the grain
business is being conducted in a per-
fectly fair and square way at the head
of the lakes and that the North Da.
kota farmers should not believe the
statements of the bankers that matters
there need remedying, but should con-
tinue to ship their products to Duluth.
W. ]. Hawk, well-known grain
dealer of Buffalo, who has had many
years experience in shipping grain to
the head of the lakes, received two
of these pamphlets. Being personally
familiar with the losses suffered by
North Dakota shippers in sending
their grain to Duluth. and believing
that the pamphlets did not, sufficiently
explain matters, Mr.. Hawk addressed
letter to the secretary of the board
of trade at Duluth setting forth his
views. He retained copy of the let
ter and recently forwarded it, together
with the pamphlets. to w. G. Mac
fadden. of Fargo. This letter, which
contains much valuable information,
relative to grain shipments and in
spection, is as follows:
Buffalo, N. D.. April q, 1907.
Secretary Board of Trade, Duluth,
Mimi:
Dear Sir-I am in receipt of your
statement giving an account of the
investigation of your inspection de-
partment by the Minnesota legisla-
ture. and it makes my blood boil with
yyho T
something about the way your inspec-
ton department has been conducted
In the past, as was quite an extern
sive shipper from 1888 to 1903, inclu-
sive, making sixteen years, and I
could not compete with elevator COM
panies who had terminal storage, for
they did not care so much how the
grain was inspected out. 1 was obliged
to sell my wheat on arrival at the
price and grade then prevailing, or
at least was obliged to accept the
grade at that time.
II have had some experience in
handling wheat and 1 think know
good wheat when l see it, and can
conform my judgment to the rules
laid down by your commissioners for
the guidance of your inspectors, but
l. never could change my judgment
often enough to keep up with your
inspectors. l know that during the
Letter corner shipped quite a guam
tity of wheat that graded No. 1 hard,
which weighed about 81 pounds and
in later years shipped wheat that was
at least two grades higher that in
spected No. northern and weighed
IS pounds, sound, good color and all
right; in fact, there was no reason
in the world why It should grade be-
low No. 1 northern excepting for some
the month of September. 1902, or 1903,
am not certain which year, shipped
about 10000 bushels of elegant wheat
that was really line wheat between
hard and northern, which all graded
No. 2 northern, excepting two cars,
and later on the same kind Of wheat
graded No. 1 northern.
when was shipping frequently
offered to wager that no man could
ship ten cars of wheat as near alike
as it would be possible to make it by
mixing or otherwise and get the same
grade for all of it. l would then
wager two to one that no man could
pick out the cars that would be grad
ed lower than the balance.
CAS- rule thought you were about
fair in dockage and always found
your weights correct. excepting in one
or two instances when there was evil
IDENTIFY mistake somewhere. AS to
hospitals, l have always claimed that
If man could improve his grades he
was entitled to the pay for so doing,
but the way 1t has been there you
could take No. 1, and wheat and
mix together and get it inspected out
at the next highest grade without do
ing anything to improve the wheat,
but the sun seemed to shine on 1t in
different way after 1t had been put
in a terminal house.
eff you have been connected with
your present Office for many years you
can remember when the shippers were
kicking about the grades they were
receiving, and at the same time some
eastern millers would not buy wheat
on Minnesota grades without sample
OF the wheat. That is what call
playing both ends against the middle
No, you can't tell me your inspection
has always been conducted honestly,
for l know better. All your white
washed Investigations and smooth
writeups will not satisfy me or change
my mind, for I have been against 1t.
You say nothing has ever been done
legally to prevent Wisconsin inspec-
ton, that is not the way you work,
but you cannot deny that every man,
woman and child in Duluth is opposed
to Wisconsin inspection in West Su-
perior. That is where the funny
business is done and where you have
not been under the restraint of even