WHEAT IN "WESTERN CANADA 99 



on account of the number of weighmen who would be re- 

 quired, such constant supervision could scarcely be pro- 

 vided at the country elevators. As we have seen, if a 

 shipper is not satisfied with the grade of his wheat, he 

 can call for rfeinspection and appeal. Dissatisfaction with 

 weights, however, cannot be so easily remedied. In most 

 cases, wheat, after being weighed, is binned with other 

 grain and cannot again be obtained as an entity for re- 

 weighing. It is only possible to re-weigh satisfactorily 

 when there has been no leakage between the scale and the 

 receiving pit or between the receiving pit and the scale, 

 and when the wheat concerned has been stored separately. 



The scales in the country elevators are inspected and 

 approved by inspectors of the Inland Eevenue Depart- 

 ment ; but there are so many elevators that it has not been 

 possible to visit each scale and thoroughly inspect it more 

 than about once a year. In addition to the fact that the 

 scales are apt to get out of order, other difiiculties con- 

 nected with weighing are to be found in car damage and 

 leakage, pilfering, and occasional dishonesty of one of 

 the weighmen. Since a government official cannot be pres- 

 ent to watch all the weighing that goes on in country ele- 

 vators, and with a view to protecting the shipper, the 

 Canada Grain Act provides that " persons interested in 

 the weighing of grain shall have free access to the scales 

 while such grain is being weighed." A farmer, there- 

 fore, if he chooses, can always supervise the weighing of 

 his grain. Falsifying or misstating weights is heavily 

 penalized ; and, if a farmer is dissatisfied with the scale at 

 a country elevator, he can apply for an inspector who will 

 at once visit the scale and investigate its condition. 



Some farmers have set up on their farms private scales 

 of their own and weigh each wagon load of grain before 

 hauling it to the country elevator. By this means they 



