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Show , , , . I The United States I Grain Standards Act H Provide For the Establishment of H Official Standards and Licensing H of Grain Inspectors H The United States grain standards act which gives the Secretary of Ag- Hk( rlculture authority to establish, as M soon as may bo, ofllclal grain stan- B dards applicable to grain shipped in B- j interstate or foreign commerce, be- H came a law on August 11, 1916. B The act authorizes the Secretary oi H Agriculture to investigate the hand- H ling nnd grading of grain and to os- BBB tabllsh, as soon as may be, standards B for corn, wheat, rye, onts, barley, fl flaxseed and other grains. Not lrss fl than 90 days public notice must be m given in advance of the date on B which any such standard becomes of- H m Whenever such standnrds nro es- BH tabllshed for any grain the act for- B bids tho shipment or delivery (or H shipment in interstate or foreign m commerce originating In the United B States, of any such grain which Is H Bold, offered for salo, or consigned m for Bale by grade, unless it is inspect BBS ed nnd graded by a licensed lnspcc- B tor, cither at the place of shipment, H' at a point in transit, or nt the des- B tlnntlon. In case no licensed lnspcc- B tor is located cither at tho point of H shlpmont or at tho point of destlrm- H tlon, tho grain may bo shipped with- H out inspection in which event cither B party to the transaction may lofor BHB liny dispute as to tho grado to tho B Secretary of Agriculture. H When grain shipped or dolleied H for shlpmont In Inter.'. ate or foreign H commerce Is required to be (imported H nnd graded by n licensed Inspector, B It Is made unlawful for any person B to represent thnt it is of a grado oth- H r than that stated In a certificate is- BH hued in compliance with tho act. BH Shipment By Sample Permitted B Tho act permits tho shipment in BH Intcrstnto or foreign commurco of H grain sold by samplo or by type, or H under any description which is not BBfl fnlBe and misleading and docs not in- H elude any of tho terms of tho oinclal H grain standards. H Tho Secretary of Agrlculturo Is au- B thorlzcd to examine grain thnt has H been certified to conform to nny H grade of tho ofllclal grain standards, H or that has been shipped in interstate BBB or foreign commerce. If, after an op- H portunlty for hearing has been glv- en to tho Interested parties it is determined de-termined thnt any such grain has been incorrectly certified or has been sold undor ,a name, description, or designation which Is false or misleading mislead-ing he may publish his findings. Right of Appeal When grain shipped in Interstate or foreign commerce has been inspected in-spected as required by the act, any interested party may, either with or without relnspcctlon, appeal tho question ques-tion of its grade to the Secretary or Agriculture. Tho Secretary of Agriculture Agri-culture is authorized to determine tho true grade of tho grain, arid his findings are mado prima facie evidence evi-dence of that fact in suits between tho parties in Federal courts. Btas-onable Btas-onable fees may bo charged for hearing hear-ing disputes and appeals. When appeals ap-peals nro sustained, such fees nro to bo refunded. Every person employed employ-ed to inspect and grade grain for shipment ship-ment in interstate or foreign commerce com-merce is prohibited from certifying tho grain according to the ofllclal grnln standards, unless ho holds an unsuspended and unrevoked licenso Issued by tho Secretary of Agrlculturo. Agrlcul-turo. Licensing Inspectors Any person who presents satisfactory satisfac-tory ovldcnco of competency may be licensed as an inspector under the act. In States which have or may hereafter, hnvo State grain inspection inspec-tion departments, tho Secretary of Agrlculturo Is required to issue licenses li-censes to persons authorized and employed em-ployed to inspect and grade grain under un-der tho laws of such States. Licensed Licens-ed Inspectors and porsons employed by "tho Secrotnry of Agrlculturo for cnrrylng out tho provisions of the net nro prohibited from having any Interest In any grain elevator or waro house, or in tho merchandising of grnln, or from being employed by nny person owning or operating any grain elevator or warehouse. Licensed Inspectors In-spectors arc required to keep records of nil grain Inspected by them nnd to make detailed reports to tho Secretary Sec-retary of Agriculture. Tho license of nny inspector found to bo incompetent, incom-petent, or to hnvo issued any fatso 'certificate of grado, or otherwise to hnvo violated nny provision of tho net, may bo suspended or revoked by tho Secretary of Agrlculturo. Penalties Any licensed Inspector who knowingly know-ingly inspects or grades Improperly grain shipped in interstato or foreign commorco or knowingly gives nny false certificate of gnulo, or accopts a brlbo for noglcct or Improper per-formnnco per-formnnco of duty, may also bo punished pun-ished by lino or imprisonment or both. Similar punishment may bo Impos- i ed upon other persons who violate certain portions of the act, particularly particu-larly those with roforenco to tho inspection in-spection by licensed Inspectors of grain shipped In Intcrstnto or foreign commerce. An appropriation of $250,000 is made for tho enforcement of tho net. Tho necessary rules and regulations regula-tions will be prepared and published at tho earliest possible date in order that persons Interested may have ah opportunity to become famlllnr with them beforo any of the standards become be-come effective. Objects Sought In the Act Tho benefits which the act seeks to confer are described in tho language lan-guage used In the annual report of 1914 of tho Secretary of Agrlculturo with particular reference to the establishment es-tablishment of standards for corn: Grades for that grain If generally adopted and uniformly applied throughout tho country, will simplify the relations between producers, dealers, deal-ers, and consumers. Under these grades, fairly used, tho grower or shipper of a superior quality of grain will bo in a position to demand from the buyer tho fair value to which tho quality of his product entitles him. On tho other hand the producer of a product of inferior quality will receive a lower return. "The beneficial influences upon agriculture ag-riculture of a uniform system of grading grad-ing stnplo crop products will be very great through the financial incentive afforded tho farmer to improve the quality of his product by tho careful selection of varieties, skillful culture and adequate and effective- methods of harvesting, handling and protecting protect-ing it while in his hands." |