The National tribune., 1908-04-09

This relates to the receipts and ship
ments for the year ended Aug 81, 1901.
This table tells its ow,. story, as there
were three times as many bushels of
No. 1 hard shipped out as had been
i1ceived and nearly twice as many
bushels of No. 1 northern, with pro-
portionate excesses of the lower grades;
that is, the grain was bought at a lower
grade and sold at a higher, making an
immense profit for the dealers.
The buyers in Minnesota are not
wholly to blame for this, since they
| must protect themselves against the
| injurious views taken at the terminals
by those who grade the grain there
The farmer necessarily loses heavily by
this, and is robbed of a considerable
portion of his just gains.
The matter has been one of intense
irritation for years, and in constant
dispute between all parties, from the
buyers at the railroad stations to the
millers at the end of the line. 1t has
been shown that one elevator received
great quantities of No. and No.
northern, of no grade and rejected. in
side of three months, but sold during
that time great quantities of higher
grades. and made inside Of the three
months, as shown by its own books,
SSs0,245.10. This shows what can be
done by judicious mixing in the eleva-
tor bins.
The Minnesota Inspection Commits
sion declares that it is looking carefully
after the interests of the North Dakota
wheat growers, who market their grain
in Minnesota, but this claim is not sus-
tanned by known facts. The Legislature
of North Dako,a has tried to secure CO. |
operation and suitable legislation by the
Legislature of Minnesota, and the same
trouble exists with the other States and
their several Principal market points. |
As early as 1908 the North Dakota Leg
islature recommi nded Federal inspec-
ton and grading and it has since re-
peated this recommendation. The Bank
ers' Association has taken the matter
up, and lent its influence in favor of I
radical reform. So far nothing has been
accomplished, owing to the intense op-
position of the powerful interests which
are profting by the present system of
injustice
Senator McCumber makes a strong
argument that this strikes right at the
foundation of our peoples rights by
placing those of one section at
| great disadvantage with those |,
IF another. 1t also is injurf-
'us to our great wheat trade abroad,
where the buyers are constantly COM
of the unreliability of our sys-
EN- of inspection and grading. When
my buyer can have well-founded doubts :
Is to the quality of an article offered
lim the price sinks very rapidly and t
'ut of proportion to the actual inferior |
ty of the goods. AS the price of grain !.
I'll over the country is fixed by the :
mailer quantity which we market +
broad this evil depresses the price of t
rain thruout the entire country,
The bill which Senator McCumber
las introduced is as follows:
That the Secretary of AericuIturel =
hall organize in the Bureau of Plant !,
industry of his Department a section of :
rain inspection and grading, and sd,u
ccording to the rules of the Civil Sir-l :,
Ice, appoint such experts and other y
mployes as may be deemed by him
ecessary to carry out the provisions of q
his act d
Sec. 2. That said Secretary shall also
ppoint, in accordance with the rules
the Civil Service, at each of the fol-
wing cities. to wit, Portland, Me-: Bos-
IN; New York; Philadelphia; BaIti- d
lore; Chicago; Minneapolis; Duluth: o.
uperior; Kansas City. Mo-; st. I.ouis:
ew Orleans; Seattle: Tacoma, and San u
ranclsco, and at such other important Il
enters of Interstate trade and COM al
ierce in grain as he may consider nee
ssary or proper for carrying out the
rovisions of this act one Chief Grain :
lspector and such assistants as NAV be IL
equired to inspect and grade frains "
) herein provided. h
Sec. 8. That said Inspectors shall be RI
aid salary or compensation to be
Sed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
hich shall correspond as near as pos n
bic to salaries and compensations paid d
her officers or employees of the Gov d,
'nment performing similar duties.
Sec. 4. That the Secretary of Agricul-
ire shall make all needfuI rules and
gulations governing the inspection and
aiding herein provided for m
Sec. s. That said Secretary Of Agri- in