Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-01-27
'LAFEAN BILL is
BURIED FOR GOOD
Proposed Change In Size of Apple
Boxes Has Small Chance.
HawleY Keeps Watch and Should it
Appear Before Congress Again
1t Will Be Riddled 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, ind
thus far there has been no indication
that it is to be pressed for considera-
tion. The bill is not new one. In
one form or another it has been intro
duced 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..
LafeaD 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-
riculture, 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 charac-
ter of its requirements and the mani
fest object sought to be attained are
sufficient to guarantee a fight against
it in committee, and it is doubtful if
the bill could be reported to the house,
but, should report be made, it would
only be after the bill had been mate
rally amended so as to remove the
more Objectionable features. But more
than this, it is seriously questioned
whether congress will feel disposed to
enter upon the regulation of the size
and contents of packages in which
foodstuffs 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 a 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-
duced it, and again on January 5 in
troduced it with some changes. The
latest bill, so far as the western apple
country is concerned, is quite as OBJ
noxious as any of it's predecessors, for
1t provides that boxes in which apples
are packed for shipment out of the
state in which they are grown must
have capacity of not less than 2342
cubic inches, the figures named in pre-
vious bills. But in addition to defn-
ing the capacity of apples boxes, the
new bill fixes the standard capacity of
apple baskets and barrels, the former
to be of the same capacity as boxes,
2342 inches, and the barrels to be of
the following dimensions: "Length of
stave, 2S13 inches; diameter of head,
171s inches; distance between heads,
26 inches; circumference of bulge, "a
inches.
The obnoxious feature of the bill. SO
far as the western apple growers are
concerned, is that fixing tho standard
for boxes. Mr.. Lafean, for some rea-
son, has arbitrarily chosen a box CON
tanning 2342 cubic inches; the Winches-
ter bushel, the recognized standard in
the United States, contains 215O.4
cubic inches. Therefore the Lafean
box calls for 1872 cubic inches in ex-
cess of a bushel. Why such a figure
should have been adopted is a mystery
to the members of the committee. Mr..
Latean has never offered any explana-
ion, yet he apparently is the only man
n congress interested in this bill.
Chairman Scott of the committee has
assured Mr.. Hawley he will do moth
ng with the bill unless urged to do so
~ its author, and, if request is pre-
erred, Mr.. Hawley will be notified in
ime to enable representatives of the
Western apple growers to come to
Washington and present their protests
0 the committee. But until Mr.. La
can demands such action, it seems un.
Necessary for such representatives to
make the trip to Washington or to de-
nand hearing.