The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-04-02
PUTTING BACK
STOLEN D0CkACE
Grain Grading Department Com
peils Thieves to Restore in
Cash Value Of Grain Taken.

"Out where the West begins" horse.
stealing became the favorite crime. he.
cause horses were easily taken and
helped steal themselves. With the ad-
vent Of wheat-raising. notwithstanding
came more into vogue. But the steal
ing was not all confined to the burglars
Who broke open the granary or used
an auRur on its wooden walls and
slapped" the bin for wagon load In
the night. Finer methods were devel-
oped. particularly by the grain buyers.
They bought wheat. ''docked" 1t for
other grain that might be- mixed with
tt-and kept and sold the dOcknge,
without paying one cent for 1t to the
farmer. Thus load of wheat might
be two-thir,ls wheat and One-third flax
The flax would be docked-and the
value of the dockage he actually
greater than the value of the wheat! !
The farmers saw the steal going on
before their eyes and finally when
they awoke and took over the state
government they passed law reQuir-
Ing this dockngc TO he paid for and
putting a state grain grading depart
Inent in charge to see that the law was
Obeyed.
Old Dogs and New Tricks.
1t ii hard 70 teach old dogs new
tricks. The grain buyers had been for
30 many long years stealing this dock
age that they could not seem to learn
the new system. or pay for the grain
they received. Hence 1t came about
TINT the grain grading department had
busy tim" Of 1t making the grain
buyers put back what they had taken.
This was done hy licensing all grain
buyers and the buyer who refused to
"put 1t back" had his license cancelled
and could buy II" more grain in North
Dakota Pretty stern mrtiicin"-~hut
absolutely ur"lr'i rs these instances
will show:
What the Records Show.
lIrrmnn Mn!WuArh of Wnlhalla. is
richer by $11 - i'rtnusr he complained
to the grain grating department over
not getting wi ','"Ka-e.
II. a. Phar-, -. Nn,nr. got paid for
barley that H., .":'tn hnyer had taken
as d0ckagr.
N Eddie ~ "'hwood. got $2l.73
as the amount .,.:' 1iu ON .lnckuye Oh
wheat. His " h,*'t WAS "vrr-lnckch.
Stanley Thonn>nn of Ayr. went up
against an old do vino refused to pay
for dockngc. l'.r nnw trick WnS uarh
to learn hut Mr.. Thompson got 5000
In neat little check.
VIM. kirchmrr Of Kenmnre. was
against til" ;saN.r proposition. The
buyer refused to pay for dockagr. but
after the grain grading department
had written y letter. Mr. Kirchmcr
got satisfactory settlement.
John J. Norbrrg of Tolley, has n
$4,000 check for dockagc that never
would have come without Il grain grad
ing department.. The grain buyer took
no stock in this new fad Of paying for
valuable dockagc--until he heard that
it was the style now, and being out
of fashion was the same us being out
of business.
Andrew Hoilinger of MELVILLE, fig
ured he was getting some pay for his
dockage-but not enough. He took
what was offered him and then sent
In his complaint to the grain grading
department.. In the mail box one
morning he found that Santa Claus
had been around and check for
$17.42 proved to him that the farmers
law was working in its mysterious
way its wonders to perform.
II. Halland Of Nome, had his barley
locked. Docking Of barley Is not al
lowed under the law. A letter got the
grain buyer to pay for what he hn,i
taken and stopped docking barley.
Gust. Peterson Of Nome, had his
barley dockrd. When he kicked to
the right place check came along
for $l0W-just enough to pny his
League iembership-to pay for what
had been wr"ngfully taken from his
barley.
Not for Farmers Only.
1t Is not only II square deul for
farmers. this law, though he benefits
most by it. because he sells most under
it. Here's case Of an elevator com.
pany at Reynolds selling to Il flour
mill. The mill was taking fractional
percentages OF dOckAge which Is no,
allowed. A letter to the mill brongh,
the elevator company Il check fol
WHIT, to square up the denl. 1t Is !,
poor rule and Il poor law that will moi
york two ways. The grain buyer /.
learning that he Is protected when h
is giving square deal. He Is ever
protected against his own errors. Il
he gives higher grade than he shouIt
or pays more for dockuge than HI
should've has backing now and car
show his customer that he overpals
him. It is putting a spirit Of conf
,dence In the buyer and seller all owe
the state and business that once wa
considered polite and legalized form
of stealing is now attaining a dignlt,
that it should long since have held.