The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-01-11
busheI instead 81 fortv-eie

a busheI instead Of ~forty-eight
pounds, but this is in direct viola
ton of the same statute. The laws
of this state Claws 1909, CHI. 211),
make 1t unlawful to take dockage X
ton boards for the Minnesota and
Wisconsin terminal markets place a
dockage, and also prohibits the buy.
ing of any grain at a different weight
for the hushel than hat fixed by
law.
AS Minnesota and wisconsin do not
permit their terminal buyers to take
tice become illegal in this state, and
of course since our law fixes forty
eight pounds as the standard weight
of a busheI of barley, the practice
of taking fifty pounds Is also illegal
1t is immaterial why barley and pats
are not docked at the terminal mar
ket, but are sold by sample; the fact
remains that this is the case, n If
the buyer here is not docked for
dirt and four seed when he ships his
barley to the terminal, there is no
reason why the farmer selling it to
him should be locked. The commits
sion realizes the farce of many OF
the arguments advanced by the barley
buyers, but 1t cannot change the law
LII SdH only SHLOTce IL as IL IlnQG IT.
Short Weighing.
1t seems to be an unwrrtten law
that the grain buyer shall be per-
mitted to protect himself against
waste In handling, evaporation of
moisture and dust blowing out of the
grain. This is done in one or two
ways. The INSCRIPTIONS buyer mere
ly "sneaks the weights" on the farm
er and makes up his loss in this way.
The nor honest buyer simply notifies
his customers that he will hold out
so many pounds to the load, Neither
one of these methods can be eondoned
by the commission.
II the buyer is to be permitted to
make up the shrinkage by short weigh
ing, why may he not make up all his
losses, u to whatever cause, in this
way? IL he IS to be permitted to OPEN
" hold out n pound or ten on the
load, why should he be required to
weigh the load at all, and why should
he not merely guess at the weight Of
the load and pay the farmer whatever
he pleases for it?
The law undertakes to protect the
farmer by determining the weight of a
unit of grain, by testing the scales on
which the Weighing Is done. and by
establishing a method of grading by
which the quality of the grain is de-
w bAN II hOEG nOL SAY now U1UCn
money the farmer shall get for it; this
is left to competitive forces and the
natural law Of supply and demand, and
subject to the restriction that collision
and combination to beat down prices
will not be tolerated, the buyer ma
buy y farmers grain as cheaply as
he can.
II, follows. that any loss growing out
of the handling of the grain itself must
be taken care Of in the price paid. This
IS manifestly the right and only way
and 1t is as fair for one buyer as for
another. IL all buyers would take these
elements into consideration when de-
termining how much they will pay for
the farmers grain. the evil would
shortly disappear. The fact that some
will not do this, in the hope of secur-
ing the farmers grain by Offering an
apparently higher price, does not alter
h situation any more than the fact
that some grocers put sand in their
ugar would justify all grocers in doing
1t. If those buyers who desire to obey
the aw will call the commissions att
tention to those instances where it is
violated and assist In graduating the
evil it would be but a short time when
all would be on the same footing.
Refusal to Take Grain in Store.
Another peculiar abuse has been
called to the commissions attention,
and this is the refusal to take In store
any grain excepting inferior, rejected
or no-grade stuff the excuse being that
the elevator is full up excepting for
bins containing only that kind of grain
and hence the elevator cannot find
room for any other kind.
1t is apparent that If the commission
would stand for this sort OF thing there
would shortly be no other kind OF grain
In the state and the farmer would be
compelled to permit his grain to be
graded low in order to store 1T all.
It is a recognized fact that a great
many farmers do not care to sell their
grain for cash. but place it in store,
expecting a rise later on, and it is also
recognized that all elevators wish to
buy all the grain they can get and store
none and hence every effort Is made
to induce the farmer 10 let go his grain
when he hauls it in instead of holding
1t in store.
Amy legitimate argument or induce
naent which the elevator man can adj
vance or hold out to the farmer to
persuade MIN to sell win be approved
by the commission but 1t cannot con-
sent to his being sandbagged. When
the farmer wishes to store his grain
it must be properly graded and receiv-
ed in store a q proper storage ticket
given him emitting him to a return Of
exactly the same kind OF grain he put
in store. This commission issues H.
censes to persons and corporations who
wish and intend to buy and store all
kinds Of grain and not To those who
merely intend to handle the kind Of
grain that suits them.
Board of railroad commissioners
@. r.. N. Anderson
W. ii. Mann.
w. III. Gushing. ~Secratary.