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Show GBEMEHr TEST inpse Dairy and Food Bureau to Employ Additional Inspector. Walter M. Boyden, stalo dairy and food commissioner, was authorized yesterday by the state dairy and food bureau, of which he is chairman, to employ an additional ad-ditional inspector, for as long a time as may he absolutely necessary to make an investigation of the complaints that have come to the bureau of overreading and underreading of tho Babcock test. "It has been charged, from several localities lo-calities in the state, ami from various sources, that at times croa mery companies compa-nies instruct their agents to overread Hit Babcock test, which tells the amount of but Ler fat in a sample oi cream or milk,'' Mr. Boyden said. "The result of overreading, if persist ed in. is that the farmer learns he can get a bc-tttr price for cream from the creamery resorting to this practice than he '-nn from the crea mery which trios to li ce up to the I law. The state law specifically makes it a misdemeanor to oveiread or under-read under-read the Hancock test. "A creamery overread dig a Babcock test in any locality might be able to crowd a competitor out of the field. When this wad accomplished, of course, it could then reimburse itself, if not strictly honest, by underr-'ading the test for a time. The overreading or under-reading under-reading of the test is much harder to discover than a price competition, though it amounts to about the same thing in the end. There is a state law which requires tnat a creamery shall not pay more for butter fat in one part of the state than It does in another." When the complaints were first officially offi-cially called to the attention of the dairy and food bureau, a meeting was held with the croamerv men of the state at which the matter was thoroughly discussed, dis-cussed, including resolutions drawn up at Omaha at a conference of tb.i federal trade commission with representatives of the creameries. The bureau met yesterday to discuss these resolutions and the general situation situa-tion further, with the result that it was dedded to employ a special Inspector to investigate and report on conditions as they actually exist In the state. He will check up at various points In the state from which compla in is have come, and will endeavor to ascertain if the over-reading over-reading is actually going on. Cm his report will dependlargely any further action by the bureau. Il is probable prob-able tha t some of the suggestions made at the Omaha conference will be adopted by the dairy and food bureau, but Just how far it will go in this direction will depend on the report of the ex pert and on the state laws limiting the powers of the bureau. |