The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-02-11
House Recommends
Flour Label Bill
For Passage
(Contiuued from PAGE one1

Continued from page one)
could see the inadvisability of that
feature of the original measure, he
said.
Enforcement Called Impossible
Outlining the passage of wheat
through various marketing channels
from the farmer.to the mill, Twichell
said that it is practically impossible
for millers to tell exactly what kind
Of wheat goes into their flour. Wheat
is bought on sample, he said, with
attention only to its grade and pro-
tein content is considered. No one
can tell what variety of wheat is
contained in flour after the wheat is
milled, he contended.
He cited contracts made by the
state mill and elevator to show that
wheat is bought on a grade and
protein basis with higher price
for high protein grain and deductions
for certain undesirable features. He
demanded to know how the state mill
would be able to brand its product in
compliance with the law in view of
the conditions under which wheat
is bought and the contentious Of all
other millers that it cannot be done.
II am here to protect the small in
dependent millers Of this state"
Twichell said. "When the state mill
opened there were so or more small
Independent mills in this state. Now
there are only II. I don't care about
the Minneapolis mills, whether they
live or die, but do demand a chance
for the small North Dakota mills to
live"
Continuing his analysis Of the state
mills operations, Twichell said &c.,
600 bushels of the slightly more
than 100000 bushels of wheat used
by it came from Montana and pointed
out that there would be no method Of
enforcing the proposed law to make
the state mill observe its terms.
Would Close Small Mills, Twicheil
Says
The state repealed a law against
bleaching flour, he said, because the
state mill was violating it while small
millers were handicapped by being
forced to observe it's terms. Small
millers contend that if they are linn
tied to the use of North Dakota wheat
they will have to close, he said, and
reiterated his statement that "the
small North Dakota mills have a
right to live" He also cited bills to
show that the state mill had pur-
chased hard winter wheat from
Montana and averred that the effect
Of the bill would be to force the small
mills out Of business and create a
monopoly for the state mill.
j. II. Burkhart, Ward county, mi
nority floor leader, said that the
hard winter wheat was not used at
the state mill but was mixed at the
state elevator and sold to other mills
Millers know what kind Of wheat they
are using, he said, when they send
it through their rolls. Twichell re-
piled that Burkhart was reiterating
what the governor told the millers at
a recent conference. I. f. Sleight
McHenry county, said that no one
can tell the grade or quality OF
wheat by looking at it.
Twichell quoted from letter il
which miller charged that the bill
would create monopoly for the state
mill and. that it would force small
millers out of business by requiring
them to carry larger stocks of sacks
and wheat. More capital would bt
necessary in such an event and the
small mills would be unable to con
tinue in business, the letter said
A letter from another miller read By
Twichell said that all mills would
have to establish laboratories if tht
bill became effective as drawn ant
charged that it represented an at
tempt to discriminate in favor of The
state mill.
Burkhart pointed out that label:
on the sacks containing bran feed:
show the content in protein, rough
age, carbohydrates and other mate
rails. Flour sacks could be easil.
stamped, he said, with changeablt
stamp such as those commonly uset
in offices.
Purely Farmers Bill
Ferris recited the history Of the
state mill and charged it a politica
football. As asked by the governor
the measure is purely a farmers bill
intended to raise the price of wheat
by advertising the North Dakota prod
uct, he said.
J. NJ. Thompson, Burleigh county
remarked that numerous bills de
signed to save the farmer had beer
enacted and that about two mor'
of them would drive all the farm
ers off the farms.
+. J. Lyon, Mclean county, sale
that bleaching of the flour done a
the state mill in violation of the Law
was done under an Independent ad
ministration and alleged that grain
buyers know exactly what they arr
getting when they purchase wheat.
J. H. McCay, Sioux county, sale
one Of the main questions faced BY
the state is how to raise the price
,.+o <1nn 1aYs
could see no objection to labelling
flour to show whether it contains
rye, durum or hard spring wheat.
The committee voted down Ferris
amendments, 40 to SO, and then rec
commended the bill with the commit
tee amendments, SO to AZ.
When the report of the committee
of the whole was presented to tht
house a roll call was had on Burk'
hart's motion to substitute the Fer
ris amendments for those OF the com
mittee. When that had been beaten
C. F. Stretch, Bottineau county, moveo
to kill the bill, saying he always has
been opposed to it.
Twichell objected. however, con
tending that the bill as amended is
reasonable and takes out the harm
tul provisions CoHoniHcu :" '',e s"
sure as originally introduced.
Committee Report Adopted
The report of the committee Of
the whole was adopted, and fina
vote will be taken within the next
few days. :, ;.
The roll call on Burkhart's motion
to substitute the amendments offer
ed by Ferris for those offered b.
the committee was as follow:
Aye-Aljets, Anderson of Divide
Anderson of Sargent, Boeckel, Bubel
Burkhart, Butt, Carlson, Conway
Craig, Erickson Of Kidder, Erickson
of Mclean, Fedje, Ferris, Gilchrist
Hanson. Hildebrand, Holthusen
Iyerson of Griggs, lyerson OF Nc
Kenzie, Johnson Of Foster, johnson
of Mckenzie, Kamrath, Kapfer, kci
erleber, Lavik, Lee, Levin, Liliehau