The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1910-01-20
.LAFEAN BILL IS
BURIED FOR GOOD
Proposed Change In Size Of Apple
Boxes Has Small Chance.
'1awieY Keeps Watch and Should IT
Appear Before Congress Again
II Viii Be RiddIed With Adverse
Facts-Measure Was a Blow at
Western Fruit Growers.

Washington, Jan. 1s.--The Lafean
apple packing bill, intended to drive
Oregon and other western apples out
Of eastern markets, lies dormant in the
house committee on agriculture, md
thus far there has been no indication
that it is to be pressed for considera-
ton The bill is not a new one. In
one form or another it has been intro
dueed in several successive congresses,
but never yet has it received consid-
Grafton at the hands of any committee
to which it has been referred If Mr.
Lafean has any intention Of urging
| its consideration this session, he has
given no intimation of his purpose to
the chairman of the committee on ag-
rieulture, and without request from
| him the committee will take no notice
of his bill.
The Lafean bill in its present shape
seemingly stands no chance of passage
The radical and revolutionary charae-
ter of its requirements and the mani
| fest object sought to be attained are
| sufficient to guarantee a fight against
| IL in committee, and it is doubtful if
the bill could be reported to the house,
but, should a report be made, it would
4 OhA1 NC hAACl the VIII udu Dt<u mate
rally amended, so as to remove the
more Objectionable features. But more
than this, it is seriously questioned
whether congress viii feel disposed to
enter upon the regulation of the size
and contents OF packages in which
foodstufs are shipped in interstate
commerce Such legislation was not
attempted under the pure food law,
and it is not believed to be the pur-
pose of congress at this late day to
set precedent such as would be es-
tablished by the passage of the Lafean
bill.
Representative Lafean introduced his
bill in the last congress, it was re-
| ferred to the committee on interstate
and foreign commerce and there died
without ever being considered In the
special session last spring he reintro-
dueed it, and again on January 5 in
trodueed it with some changes. The
latest bill, so far as the western apple
country is concerned, is quite as OBJ
noxious as any of its predecessors, fol-
it provides that boxes in which apple:
are packed for shipment out of the
state in which they are grown must
have a capacity of not less than 234s
cubic inches, the figures named in pre-
vious bills But in addition to defin
ing the capacity of apples boxes, the
] new bill fixes the standard capacity OF
J apple baskets and barrels, the formei
I to be of the same capacity as boxes
I 2342 inches, and the barrels to be o.
the following dimensions: HLength o.
stave, 2S11 inches; diameter of head
us inches; distance between heads
! 20 inches; circumference of bulge, g.
inches"
The obnoxious feature of the bill, s.
, far as the western apple growers ar
, concerned, is that fixing the standar,
for boxes Mr.. Lafean, for some rea
son, has arbitrarily chosen a box con
tanning 2342 cubic inches; the Winehes
ter bushel, the recognized standard il
the United States, contains 2150.
cubic inches. Therefore the Lafeai
box calls for 1872 cubic inches in ex
cess of bushel. Why such fgur
should have been adopted is myster,
to the members of the committee. Mi
Lafean has never offered any explana
ton, yet he apparently is the only MAJ
in congress interested in this bill.
Chairman Scott of the committee ha
assured Mr.. Hawley he will do moth
ing with the bill unless urged to do 5
by its author, and, if request is pre-
ferred, Mr. Hawley viii be notified i
time to enable representatives of tn
western apple growers to come t
Washington and present their protest
to the committee. But until Mr.. La
fean demands such action, it seems VI
necessary for such representatives t
make the trip to Washington or to de
Inland hearing