The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-10-01
IS TO
JUDGE
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION
MAKES RULING ON
SMUT QUESTION.
Terminal Inspectors Will Decide
Dockage, Thereby Making the
State the Arbiter - Several
Prominent Farmers and Grain
Dealers Present.

The establishment of a system by
which smut in wheat, and the correct
dockage in weight for foul wheat, may
be judged by terminal inspectors.
thereby placing the State as arbiter
in the two most important questions
arising between farmer and dealer, is
the chief result of the sess ion of the
State Railroad Commission in Tacoma.
The conference, called for a general
revision of the State grades in grains
and grasses, was attended by Wash
ington's best known farmers and
wholesale dealers.
The decision of the railroad commits
sion, which takes the place of the re-
Gently abolished State grain commits
sion, is important to the entire State
and principally to the grain raisers
east of the mountains. In the past
the Eastern Washington farmer has
had to take as final the decision of
the purchaser in regard to the amount
of foul wheat or smut in his ship
ment. In the future this question
will be judged by neutral party, the
State grain Inspector.
The State standard of smut in wheat
will be esta blished on a percentage
plan, the grades ranging from 10 to 100
per cent. Samples of the various
grades will be made by the authorities
and sent both farmer and purchaser
upon application. A committee of six
men, appointed by the commission at
their session, will.work out the prob
lem. Members of the committee are:
State Grain Inspector S. C. Armstrong
and Deputy Inspector S. S. King of
Tacoma; A. w. Lee, State grain in
spector of Idaho; w. E. Hyde, chief
deputy inspector of Seattle; H. E.
McLane, of Walla Walla, manager of
the Farmers Union, and R. L. Nc
Croskey, Garfield, who was chairman
of the State grain commission. The
State railroad commission, composed
of H. A. Fairchild, Jesse S. Jones and
John c. Lawrence, will also remain in
the ciyt to assist in the work.
Chief Change Decided On.
/ The decision regarding the judging
of smutty and foul wheat is practi-
cally the only change as yet decided
upon in the existing grain grading
laws. 1t was reached only after ex-
haustive argument of the question
pro and con by prominent grain men
from all parts of the State. John T.
Bibb, manager of the Tacoma Grain
Company, and P. J. Fransioli, of the
grain and hay firm of that name, were
the principal speakers among the Ia
coma dealers present.
Among the men attending the ses-
sion from east of the mountains were
|P. w. Cox of Colfax, Olin D. Stevens
of Hay, H. H. McLane of Walla Walla,
G.. w. Perrine of Colfax, and R. c.
McCroskey of Garfield; A. w. Lee,
chief inspector of Idaho; w. E. Hyde,
chief deputy inspector at Seattle, and
C. H. Lilly, hay dealer of Seattle, were
also presen Senator D. H. Cox of
Walla Walla, father of the present
laws regulating the grading of grains
and grasses, arrived before the session
closed and took an active part in the
closing discussions.
Several important changes were also
made in the grading of hay and
grasses. By the new schedule No. 1
quality timothy hay may contain as
high as Is per cent. of clover and
high as 25 per cent. Two grades
No. 3 timothy and Western Washing
ton timothy-will be entirely abolish
ed in the new schedule.
BY the new rule No. 1 quality of
clover hay is permitted to contain Is
per cent. of other grasses instead of
5 per cent, as heretofore. No. 2
quality may contain rs per cent. in
stead of Is, as in the past The same
rules apply to alfalfa, and the No. 8
grade of alfalfa has been abolished
for the new schedule.
| Readjust Hay Grades.
There was considerable discussion
upon the hay question. In the past
there have been two No. 1 grades
one of Eastern and the other of West
ern Washington. Basing the decision
upon the concensus of opinion of as
sembled dealers, who were unanimous
in declaring Eastern Washington hay
far superior in quality to that of Pu-
get Sound, the commission abolis he'd
the latter No. grade. In the future
only Eastern Washington hay will be
graded as first. There will be but the
two grades of mixed hay, the No. 3
| quality of the past being abolished.
A new standard, to be known as mo
grade" because of inferiority, will be
established for both hay and straw.
The establishment of the smut and
foul wheat judging system was made
largely upon the Endorsement of this
plan by State Grain Inspector S. C.
Armstrong as solution of the grow
ers' and buyers troubles of the past.
The percentage plan, as sketched by
the inspector, met with the approval
OF both. He will work out the plan
with the five other men appointed on