The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-17
GRAIN men MEET
Kansas Dealers Discuss Their
Troubles i'm Conference Here.
First of Series of Eighteen To
Be Held This Summer.

Grain dealers in this section of the
state gathered in Topeka Friday night.
TO me- number Of nearly fifty. at a
district meeting at which they were
the guests of the Topeka Board OF
Trade The district meeting was the
first of a series of eighteen which are
10 he held in the next few weeks by
e J. Smiley. secretary of the Kansas
Grain Dealers association. in various
portions of the state All the meet
inEs Will have been finished by
The dealers and a large number of
the uiIlers of Topeka dined at the
Heron Coffee shop before addresses
by o. T. Chopper. state representative
of the Aetna Life Insurance company;
j. 5. Hart. of Kansas City, chief in
spector OF the Kansas grain inspection
department, Secretary Smiley. and
others.
Chopper exlained to the dealers the
plan Of group insurance for the mem
bers Of the association, which is be-
ing considered by that organization.
Following his address and a discus
sion of the plan. its adoption by the
Kansas Grain Dealers association was
unanimously favored by the members
of the association present at the meet
ing. The same plan viii be presented
at each of the district meetings to pc
held in the next few weeks.
Address by Inspector Hart.
Inspector Hart. formerly state sena-
tro. appeared before the dealers to eX-
plain why his department has accu-
INFLATED in the past your years a sur
plus. above its expenditures, OF some
$4,000 in profits.
Il never expected a surplus in my
department TO give me grief Mart
declared. in opening his remarks. and
added that there is an insistent De
mand from the dealers and from the
farmers and grain producers, that the
weighing and inspection fees De re-
int 2 there
he no surplus in the treasury of the
department.. which is operated on a
revolving fund
Hart pointed out the TREMENDOUS
increase in the volume of work which
has been done by his department in
the past nine years as one of the rea-
sons for the increase in the amount OF
money on hand. While the numbers
of inspections which have been made
and paid for has increased at rates
varying from ~ per cent to 90 per
cent per year. during recent years the
increase in the expenses of the de-
partment has been but % per cent
per wear and the inspection fees have
FAR outstripped the amount Of money
which has been spent to maintain the
department He pointed out that the
fees collected in 1913 amounted to but
$4,000: that in 1921 they were more
than 100000; that in 1920 there were
inspected by the department no fewer
than 141.S03 cars of grain in Kansas
y
that in 1921 there were inspected
total of PHI sos cars.
Hart declared that the department
has spent more than $4,000 sinca
1919 for new equipment to keep pace
with the increasing demands of the
inspection. which is more complicated |
and far more expensive than it was
ten years agO-
He stated that the department has
just acquired a steel testing car
equipped for the testing of scales for /
mills. and elevators. and that the de-
partment will hereafter make a ,
charge of SIS. not oftener than twice |
& year for the testing or scales but |
the scale testing department will new /
er be self supporting" he declared.
There have been three record I,
breaking crops of wheat produced in /
Kansas during the past three years" 1
Hart said. The large volumes of the /
testing done has kept down the over /
head expense of doing the work, and /
has increased the surplus which has /
accumulated. with profit of some {
49, cents per car"
Talk by f. j. Smiley.
Sc-eraI topics were briefly dis
cussed by Smiley He commenced 1
with the government rate of discount I
or the differential between the prices I
OF the various grades of wheat as paid /
by the exporter. ]
There is no justification for the (
continuation of the standard of three \
cents difference in grade which was
fixed by the government during the |
war" Smiley declared. He asserted I
that the differential of two cents be- /
tween grades, which was used before /
the war, is sufficient, and declared I
that he should advocate that grain |
dealers refuse to release their wheat /
of a grade lower than No. 2, to ex- |
porters. SO long as the exporters in +
sisted upon the government discount J.
of three cents per bushel between /
grades.
Delayed reinspections at the ter \
minal markets were discussed, well !
as the present system of taxing eleva- !
tors and their stocks by Smiley. He :
called to the attention of the elevator I
men the fact that when they accept /
wheat TO store it for growers. they /
viii be required to pay taxes on that |
wheat and urged them to take that |
TACT into account when they are fix /
ing their storage charges.
He produced figures from the de-
partment Of economics of the Kansas !
state Agricultural college showing
that the cost to the elevator man of
doing business amounts to SIS cents
per bushels of wheat handled.
How many of you are getting SIS
cents per bushel profit2" he asked
Forty per cent of the elevator men
of the state are today on the edge of
BANKRUPTCY and unless you get a wider
margin of profit during the year now
opening. there will be fewer elevator
men doing business in Kansas this
time next year"
Plan War Memorial at lola.
lola Tuna IT-Tha Avnarinar 70