Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-19
rule him without subjecting himself
to criticism for his deputies.


States. They arbitrarily instruct their
buyers to what grade the grain is en-
titled to- They, of course, protect
themselves against possibility of loss
4, Every year when the crop be-
gins to move the graders at the ter
minals have adopted a rule that all
questions of doubt shall be resolved
against the producers. The rtsult of
that is that about two-thirds of he
crop of the farmer has been purchased
at a grade lower than that to which it
is entitled. AS the season advances
the grade is raised. This, of course,
raises all Of the grades in store and
held by the elevators and which were
purchased at q, lower grade. ALI ques-
tons of doubt in grading are resolved,
against the producer.
5. The report Of the state grain and
warehouse commission of Minnesota,
for instance, every year shows that the
number Of bushels of the higher grades
taken in is only a small percentage
OF the higher grades shipped out from
the terminal elevators, and that the
lower grades received are many times
over the lower grades shipped out,
thus defrauding the producers of many
millions of dollars every var.
6. In addition to this, we have our
mixing elevators at the criminals.
They will mix 100000 bushels of No.
l northern with 3,OO0,OOO Or 1900, OO0.-
ooO bushels of No. 2 or No. 8 north
ern and have the same reinspected
and graded as No. / northern. This
grain is shipped then, say, to Liver
pool The foreign purchaser receives
the bill OF lading, accompanied by the
certlhcate OF the grain inspector,
showing the grain to be No. 1 north
ern. He gives it chemical ANALYSIS.
compares it with Canadian No. 1
northern, and finds that the American
NO. 1 northern is far below the same
grade Of Canadian wheat This dis.
credits all of our honest grades of
wheat in the foreign market, and the
only person who reaps a benefit is
the mixer.
Z The producer of grain, the farm
er, has no voice whatever in deter
mining, directly or Indirectly, the per-
sonnet of the force which passes upon
the grade and quality of every bushel
OF grain he sells, while the purchaser
OF the grain controls absolutely the
personnel of graders and inspectors.
This injustice must be apparent. They
have no means of securing any re-
dress in case of combination, corrup-,
ton or ineficiency of the inspectors
and graders.
.. 1t often happens, as l am credit
ably informed, that for the purpose of
breaking corners in the gambling
deals OF the wheat pit millions of
bushels OF grain are given false GER
tlhcates to meet shortage. In the
end the producer pays for the losses
resulting from false inspection or GER
tltlcation losses. At present every
grain market has its own system of
grading and inspection and no two
systems are exactly the same. The
result is that the same kind and quail
lty OF grain, shipped from the same
held, entering markets in differen,
states, is graded differently and nam
ed differently, creating confusion and
general loss to the producer.
.. Under the present system of in
spection all carloads of grain arriv-
| ing at the terminals are locked a GER
tain number of pounds per bushel to
cover dirt, undeveloped kernels, or
any foreign matter in the grain. AS
ali this can be removed, and is re-
| moved in the elevators, it should not
AFFECT the grading. 1t is, however, Of
ten excessive, and while the farmer
| pays the freight on it and gets moth
ing for it the purchaser sells it often
for a very good price
How National Inspection and GRADING
Will Remedy Present Injustice
l. Under national inspection all
inspectors will be free from political
influence. They will owe no alleg.
lance to buyer or shipper. Their de
c1slon will be free from bias. Their
grading will be under rules and regu.
lations adopted by the agricultural
department. They will have as a
suide all of the experimentation and
accumulated knowledge of the depart.
ment, acquired by years of study and
investigation and laboratory work on
grains
2 Proper provision will be made
for reinspection in case of complaint
in place of the present system of an.
pealing from the deputy to the prin
cipal, whose interest demands that
he shall sustain his deputy general
| w