The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1915-06-10
TO REGULATE COTTON GRADING.
Senator McLaurin Prepares Bills
for Several States.

Columbia, June 3:-The Georgia
and Alabama Legislatures meet in
July, ,and by request Senator McLau-
rim has prepared State warehouse
bills for introduction. Senator j o
Adams of Georgia will lead the fight
and Senator McLaurin has agreed to
60 before the committee to which
the bill is referred. Accompanying
these bills is one to regulate the
grading of cotton, which was drafted
to introduce in the South Carolina
Legislature last winter.
Congressman William H Murray
of Oklahoma has also requested cop
les of these bills, and they will be
presented to the Legislature of that
State when it next assemblies. There
can be no doubt that there is sys-
tematic and determined effort on
foot all over the South to conserve
the waste from the farm to the mill.
Senator McLaurin said that we
have a law of weights and measures,
which is applied to every product
except cotton. A man is severely
punished who shortens the yardstick
or lessons the bushel or pound. Why
not cotton? The United States has
established grades for cotton, but to
be effective in law there must be
State legislation formally adopting
the standard and fixing a penalty for
the violation thereof. We have legal
weighers; why not legal graders?"
The bill to regulate the grading
Of cotton is as follows:
AN ACT TO REGULATE THE GRADING
OF COTTON.
Be it enacted by the General AS
sembly of the State of South Caro-
lima:
Section /. That from and after
the passage of this act, baled cotton
offered for sale ii South Carolina
shall be graded and classified ac-
cording to the standard grades fix
ed by the United States Agricultural
Department.
Section z. That any person grad
ing baled cotton offered for sale
shall obtain license from the State
Warehouse Commissioner, who shall
issue commission to such person to
grade cotton in the State of South
Carolina. only after an examination,
which shall satisfy him of the COM
petercy of the applicant to properly
classify and grade cotton according
to the States standard rades.
Section 3. Any person grading
baled cotton offered for sale, with
out a license as herein set forth,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
and subject to a fine of not more
than one hundred dollars OF impris-
onment for not more than thirty
days for each bale of cotton graded
by him without license as herein
set forth.
Section 4. Whenever satisfactory
proof is made to the State Ware
house Commissioner that any person
to whom a license has been granted
under this act does not grade cotton
properly according to the United
States standard grades, it shall be
the duty of the State Warehouse
Commissioner to revoke the license
of such person.
Section 5. Any person who shall
wilfully misgrade a bale of cotton
offered for sale in South Carolina
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor,
each bale constituting a separate
and distinct offense, punishable by a
fine of not more than 500 or i'm
prisonment for not more than thirty
days. A variation of twenty-five
points from the United States stand
ard grade shall constitute prima
facie evidence of wilful intent on
the part of the person grading the
cotton offered for sale.
Section 6. A fee of five dollars for
each license issued by the State
Warehouse Commissioner shall be
collected for same.
Section Z. That all acts and parts
of acts inconsistent with this act be,
and the same are hereby, repealed.