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150 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Szpr., 1902. 
“All consignments to be dealt with locally are inspected, graded, and 
weighed by the State inspectors and weigh-masters. Grain consigned to points 
beyond is not interfered with. ‘The course followed is as under :— 
“On arrival of the cars, they are placed by the railroad companies upon 
inspection tracks, provided for that purpose in their respective yards. In each 
of these yards the deputy inspectors, with their helpers, are on the ground early 
each morning, winter and summer, regardless of weather, prepared to enter 
upon their duties as soon as it is light enough to see. They are assisted by 
helpers, one of whom begins the day’s work by breaking the railroad seal on 
one side of the first car and throwing the car door open, after recording the 
number and initials of the car and the number of the railroad seal broken by 
him. If there be any appearance of leakage from any part of the car, this 18 
also noted. Passing along the line of cars, the helper continues his work until 
all the cars which have arrived during the night (sometimes from 150 to 200 or 
more) have been properly opened. 
“Following him come the samplers who represent the commission firms 
on the Board of Trade, and make it a point to procure from each car a sample 
of the grain consigned to the firms they represent, so that the consignments of 
country clients may be disposed of by sample as well as by grade. In this way 
an advance over the regular grade price is frequently secured. 
“ Commission merchants makejit a practice to carefully preserve the samples 
obtained for a period of thirty days, after which, if no question has arisen, they are 
usually disposed of, it being presumed that no necessity for reference will arise 
after that time has elapsed. 
“As the cars are opened, the deputy’ inspector, with the aid of a second 
helper, carefully examines the grain in each, so as to determine its proper grade 
and the amount of the deduction to be made for dirt, &c., technically known as 
‘dockage.’ To enable this to be done, the helper pushes a long brass probe into 
several places in the grain, under the direction of the inspector, who stands on 4 
ladder at the door opening. With the probe the helper each time draws up 
section of the wheat from top to bottom, and brings it to the inspector for 
examination. From the samples thus obtained the grade is determined. The 
dockage is fixed on the judgment of the inspector when, in his opinion, it does 
not exceed 13 to 2 lb. per bushel, but beyond this it is arrived at by careful 
test with a scale and No. 10 sieve. Great care is exercised by the inspector in 
the performance of this duty to see that no injustice is done to either the seller 
or the buyer, as the wheat must be cleaned before it can be shipped to eastern 
markets, and it is important that the dockage should be as nearly correct as 
possible, so as to insure proper cleaning and delivery from the elevator in an 
acceptable condition. The established rule to govern the inspector in arriving 
at the true dockage is as follows :— 
th inspecting wheat that has not been properly cleaned, the track inspector shall 
determine and shall state upon his inspection ticket the number of pounds per bushel, 
or fraction thereof. that in his judgment will be a just and proper allowance for 
cleaning the same wheat to the grade fixed upon it by the said inspector if cleaned in 
a public warehouse under State supervision; provided, however, if said wheat 
contains such an excess of dirt or foul seed that the inspector cannot correctly adjudge 
the amount thereof, he shall determine, by actual test with suitable appliances, the 
average amount of such dirt or foul seed per bushel that it will be necessary to deduct 
for properly cleaning such wheat to the grade fixed upon it by him, and whea such 
deduction has been determined it will be plainly stated upon the inspection ticket. 
The owner, or agent of the owner, of any lot of grain so ordered cleaned shall have 
free and full access to such lot of grain during the process of such cleaning. 
The grain shall be weighed before and after such cleaning by a State weighman. 
The result of such cleaning shall be final and binding upon all parties. The charges 
He Se wheat in any public elevator or warehouse shall not exceed cent per 
ushel. 
“Tn the case of each carload, the inspector records in his book the cat 
number and initial, the grade, dockage, test, weight, and reasons for making 
the grade, and attaches a card to the car door giving similar information. 
