The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-22
ATTACKS
KO|NER'S RECORD
In Speech at Chatham Criticizcs
Methods Of Fertilizer
Inspection.
USING OLD ENDORSEMENTS
Quotes Letters to Show Koincr
Stopped Inspectors From Tax
ing Fertilizer Samples.
USING OLD ENDORSEMENTS

! vigorously attacking the methods OF
fertilizer inspection now conducted by
the State Department of Agriculture,
j. Thompson Brown. candidate for
Commissioner OF Agriculture in n
! speech to the citizens Of Chatham In the
! Pittsylvania County Courthouse yes
terday. said that the answers OF Com
missioner G. w Koiner to some Of the
charges made against his administra-
ton remind him of a boy skating over
thin Ice.
| MIR. Koiner was present during the
/ address. but did not reply, confronting
| himself with mixing and shaking
hands with the crowd present. c. X
! warren ono OF the four candidates for
| the House Of Delegates from Pittsyl-
/ rania County. addressed the crowd az
/ ter MIR. Brown had spoken. MIR. War
/ ren expressed himself as favoring tho
/ enabling act, tax reform. and reform
/ ms the fee system. Mr.. Warren is the
I only candidate frcin Pittsylvania who
has so far publicly announced his
/ platform
/ Taking up in detail circular
recently issued by MIR. Koiner. SIR.
/ Brown charged that the commits
sioner took all the credit to himself.
ignoring the State Board Of ARricul-
ture and the other agricultural
agencies OF the State. the office hav-
Ing become known as MIR Koiner's
Department." rather than the state
/ Department OF Agriculture. In regard
to the claim that "all the work is done
without any appropriation from the
state Treasury" Mr. Brown replied
that it is supported by tax on fer
tilizer, which special tax the farmer
pays in addition to other forms OF
taxation.
/ Using Old Indorscments.
He pays 1t willingly. said Mr..
Brown, "unde. the impression that IL is
his guarantee of the purity and quality
lof the fertilizer lie buys. bu, is the
guarantee OF any real value?''
Mr.. koincr gives some space in the
circular mentioned to an Endorsement
/ from the Industrial agent of the Nor
folk and Western hallway. in reply to
which Mr.. Brown said: at is sufficient
TO state that this quotation Is four
years old. and the same gentleman now
says. l am not for Mr.. Koiner. ! rccog-
nize that the time for change has
come. The circular also quotes from
the message of one of the best Gov
errors Virginia has ever had'-Govcr-
nor Tyler 1t il rather antiquated
Endorsement, as Virginia has had three
Governors since that time"
Discussing why Mr.. Koiner is not a
I l!l'llD'T Oh INC INllt1 Agricultural
Board. an institution created within
! tho last four years for the express pur-
pose OF securing harmony and CO. opera
| ton among the state agricultural in
| sututions, MIR. Brown showed that Mr.
Is DINER was made "A member In 1910 In
the hopo of getting co-opcration from
him. and then dropped in 1872. when i,
was found that this was impo ssibie.
Fertilizer Ink Ss7,57I.I7.
AS TO the fertilizer tax, which falls
heavily on the farmers OF the State MIR
Brown showed that they paid last year
$SG57ll7 for fertilizer inspcction-an
individual tax paid by farmers using
fertilizers for the sole purpose Of hav-
ing Inspections and analyses made in
order To guarantee the quality.
lie continued:
The law provides that each manu-
faCturcr, etc, oil fertilizer shall nlc
with the Commissioner Of Agriculture
the name OF each brand OF fertilizer
which they propose TO offer Tor sale
III Virginia. and also the guaranteed
analysis thereof, stating the minimum
percentage OF phosphoric acid. nitrogen
ana potash
The Commissioner OF Agriculture is
directed TO have his inspectors draw
samples OF such fertilizers offered for
sale all over the State, ana provision
Is also made for purchasers having
samples drawn. Said samples are then
to be analysed by the Department Of
Agriculture. and if the analysis of any
lcrtiiiZcr-shall fall as much as 3 per
cent and not more than 10 per cent
below the guarantee registered with
the Commissioner OF AEricuiturc-it
shall be the duty of the Commissioner
IF Agriculture 10 assess twice the value
Of such deficiency against the manu-
tacturcr. dealer or agent. or If the fer
'iliHer shall fall over 10 per cent below
the guarantee registered with the Com
missioner or branded In the bag etc.
he shall assess five times the value
etc.
Quotes KOiner's Letter.
The law, however, applies only to
the lot from which the sample was
drawn. Right here is the trouble
II have MIR I<oners own letters to
inspectors instructing them to seize
fertilizers which fell below the guar ran
tee, and Immediately followed by other
letters instructing inspectors to re-
lease the fertilizer so seized, as the
law only applies to the lot from which
the sample was drawn. and ] have his
letter to an Inspector dated as early
as April g. in which he says: Allow
me TO call your attention to the fact
that you are drawing too many dupli-
cate samples. When you draw n sam
pie OF n particular brand. check il OF
your book and do not draw another
sample of that brand during this scs-
sion. unless there is special request
for it
The law. rs bad rs it is, stopped
entirely as early as April 10. when
many farmers had not bought their
fertilizer.
Nov. what possible guarantee is
there under such law, administer
cd, for the protection OF tho farmer or
any honest fertilizer manufacturer"