to them corn meal, for there is no such thing as corn flour, because without the aid of wheat it will not rise and can not be made into bread. It is a fraud practiced upon the 90,000,000 people who use wheat flour. We should be retrogressing 20 years in our struggle for pure food, if we erase this law from the books. It will put a premium upon dishonesty and drive out of business the conscientious miller, because his less scrupulous competitor can so undersell him. It is not a favor, it is simple justice that the miller and the consumer and the wheat grower ask; yes, and the corn grower too, for while he is anxious to sell his corn, he must sell it as corn and at corn prices, so that this mixed-flour proposition can not and does not in anywise help him. The opposition assume a sanctimonious air as the friend of the poor-the purveyors of cheap food. The poor man asks for flour and they give him something just as good-mixed flour, a product of wheat, corn, and clay, far heavier and cheaper and better for the poor man. When he asks for fish, they give him a scorpion. When he asks for bread, they give him a stone. Telegrams and letters protesting repeal of Rainey law from Atkinson Milling Co., Minneapolis; Sheffield King Milling Co., Minneapolis; Pillsbury Flour Milling Co., Minneapolis; Cannon Valley Milling Co., Minneapolis; E. B. Sheffield, Minneapolis; W. H. Sudduth, Minneapolis; W. J. Jennison, Minneapolis. [Telegram.] Hon. THOMAS D. SCHALL, Washington: MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., January 31. Repeal mixed-flour law will promote flour adulteration and unfair competition beyond reach of present pure-food law. Repeal would be detriment to consumers and millers of country. Milling business of country should be protected from this and we hope you will make every endeavor to protect millers of your district. ATKINSON MLG. CO. Hon. THOMAS. D. SCHALL, [Telegram.] MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., January 31. Representative, Washington: Please add our name to protest against repeal of mixed-flour law. T. D. SCHALL, SHEFFIELD KING MLG. Co. [Telegram.] MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., January 29, 1916. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.: Rainey bill, H. R. 9409, certain to open way to flour adulteration and unfair competition. Repeal of mixed-flour law would greatly benefit manufacturers of corn products and would be very serious detriment to flour consumers and to the wheat-milling industry of the country. Millers in Minnesota need your very best attention to this matter. [Night lettergram.] PILLSBURY F. M. Co. THOMAS D. SCHALL, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., January 29-30, 1916. Representative for Minnesota, Washington, D. C.: Repeal mixed-flour law dangerous; opens way to flour adulteration and unfair competition; would greatly benefit corn-products company to detriment of consumers and millers of country; hearing before Ways and Means Committee Monday; please give this your attention and thereby protect millers your district. CANNON VALLEY MLG. Co, [Commander Mill Co., Merchant Millers.] MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., January 11, 1916. Representative THOMAS SCHALL, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: We are advised that various bills are being introduced or will be introduced providing for the repeal of what is known as the mixed-flour law, which is part of the pure-food law. We understand this legislation is being fathered by Congressman Henry T. Rainey, of Illinois. Some years ago, before there was any legislation on the subject, some unscrupulous millers adulterated wheat flour with fine ground corn meal, and did it to such an extent that the reputation of United States wheat flour was nearly ruined in foreign markets, and there was a great deal of dissatisfaction among the domestic trade. A large number of the millers organized an anti-adulteration league, pledging themselves to ship only wheat flour under wheat-flour brands. The final result was the passage of the mixed-flour law, which makes it necessary for a miller adulterating flour to obtain a license from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and he must pay a tax of 4 cents per barrel and stamp each package of mixed-flour products. Illinois, as you know, is a corn State, and this may have something to do with the fact that the Congressman from Illinois is, we understand, back of this proposition to repeal the mixed-flour law. We sincerely hope you will oppose every bill that has the repeal of this law for its purpose and every bill that in any way changes the law as it now stands. It is absolutely necessary, in order that Minnesota maintain its position as leader in manufacturing wheat flour, that millers of wheat be protected against adulterated wheat products. This point needs no argument. The public is entitled to protection and the integrity of our export flour business is entitled to protection. Thanking you in advance, we remain, COMMANDER MILL CO., Per B. B. SHEFFIELD, Vice President. W. H. SUDDUTH, Secretary W. J. Jennison Milling Co. W. J. JENNISON, President W. J. Jennison Milling Co. Mr. RAINEY. Gov. Lind, do you want to read some decisions of the tariff board? Mr. LIND. No, sir. Mr. RAINEY. Would you just as soon print them? Mr. LIND. Yes; certainly. Mr. RAINEY. Have you anybody you want to put on the stand now? Mr. LIND. Unless you have finished with the witness who was on the stand Mr. RAINEY. Mr. Lannen has not finished yet. We have been putting him off every time he gets up and have been putting somebody else on the stand. Mr. LANNEN. Mr. Chairman, in this matter I feel that the facts ought to be in the record coming from the practical men before I make my statement, because every time I get up I am asked practical questions that are not legal questions and that I am not qualified to answer. Mr. RAINEY. You are simply a lawyer? Mr. LANNEN. I am simply a lawyer, and I believe the men who can answer the practical questions ought to have their evidence in the record. Mr. FORDNEY. I suggest that you be allowed to make your statement without interruption. For my part, I would be glad to have you make your statement complete without any interruptions at all. I would make that suggestion to the Chair, if that is agreeable. Mr. LANNEN. Well, as I said before, I think the logical way to handle this situation, inasmuch as it has developed into more or less of a case, would be to put the evidence in before it is summed up by the attorneys, and, after all, that is all I am here for-to conduct this proceeding as an attorney. Mr. RAINEY. Well, that is not a bad suggestion. Does that meet with your approval, Governor? Mr. LIND. Yes, sir. Mr. RAINEY. Then we will let you and Gov. Lind close when we get in all the testimony. Mr. LANNEN. Thank you. Mr. RAINEY. Have you anybody else you want to put on? Mr. LANNEN. We have nobody now. There are one or two points that I think ought to be cleared up before this testimony closes, and I do not like to be breaking into the testimony here because I do not feel that I have the right to do that, and yet there are some things that are clouded here, and I suggest that after awhile we be permitted to clear those things up from our side, if we may. Mr. RAINEY. Will your witnesses be here to-day that you want to use on those questions? Mr. LANNEN. Yes; they will be here. Mr. RAINEY. Then that will be satisfactory. Is there anybody you want to put on at all now? Mr. LANNEN. We have nobody to put on at all. Mr. RAINEY. The committee wants to proceed as fast as it can. Mr. LIND. I understand that. Then I will proceed, with the understanding, however, Mr. Chairman, that we may have to-morrow for the bakers, as I understand. Mr. RAINEY. That is the understanding we have already, that the bakers will be heard to-morrow. Mr. LIND. Yes; I will call on Mr. Husband. STATEMENT OF MR. A. P. HUSBAND, SECRETARY MILLERS' NATIONAL FEDERATION, CHICAGO, ILL. Mr. HUSBAND. Do you want me to testify as to the membership of the Federation? Mr. LIND. Yes; your position and the character of the association you represent; the membership, its objects, and what you know about this controversy. Mr. HUSBAND. Mr. Chairman, I am secretary of the Millers' National Federation, an organization of millers having for its purpose the advancement of the interests of the wheat flour milling industry of the United States. We have two classes of membership, one of them being represented by what we call the individual members, and then we have another class of membership as represented by the federation of State or local millers' organizations. I would like to read, please, the officers and directors of the Millers' National Federation. Mark N. Mennel, president, Toledo, Ohio. Robert R. Clark, vice president, St. Joseph, Mo. George H. Lewis, vice president, Lawrenceburg, Ind. W. L. Phelps, treasurer, Chicago, Ill. A. P. Husband, secretary, Chicago, Ill. F. H. Price, export agent, New York. Frank F. Reed and E. S. Rogers, counsel, Chicago, Ill. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Mark N. Mennel, president. Robert R. Clark, vice president. George H. Lewis, vice president. W. L. Phelps, treasurer. A. P. Husband, secretary. Charles T. Olson, chairman committee on package differentials, sales contracts, trade-marks, publicity. C. C. Bovey, chairman committee on export trade and legislation. Fred N. Rowe, chairman committee on arbitration. W. L. Harvey, chairman committee on millers' mutual insurance. W. G. Crocker, chairman special legislative committee commercial feeding stuffs. Frank B. Rice, chairman committee on crop improvement. F. J. Lingham, chairman committee on grain standardization and inspection. Henry Lassen, chairman committee on transportation. DIRECTORS. Chauncey Abbott, Wells-Abbott-Nieman Co., Schuyler, Nebr. Charles T. Ballard, Ballard & Ballard Co., Louisville, Ky. George C. Christian, George C. Christian & Co., Minneapolis, Minn. R. J. Hamilton, William A. Coombs Milling Co., Coldwater, Mich. E. M. Kelly, Liberty Mills, Nashville, Tenn. Henry Lassen, Kansas Milling Co., Wichita, Kans. Joseph Lecompte, Lexington Roller Mills, Lexington, Ky. George H. Lewis, Lawrenceburg Roller Mills, Lawrenceburg, Ind. A. C. Loring, Pillsbury Flour Mills Co., Minneapolis, Minn. B. W. Marr, Gwinn Milling Co., Columbus, Ohio. A. Mennel, Harter Milling Co., Toledo, Ohio. Asher Miner, Miner-Hillard Milling Co., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. W. L. Phelps, Star & Crescent Milling Co., Chicago, Ill. I have here a list of members that I am going to file. They are the milling members. I have taken from that list, and have not put them on there as milling members, certain members of the or ganization who are members of the affiliated organizations, such as grain men, bag houses, the milling papers, people of that kind; I have erased their names from the list, and to the best of my knowledge every name on the list I will give you as members of the federation in this particular matter are millers. Mr. RAINEY. Hand that list to the stenographer. (The list will be found at end of Mr. Husband's statement.) Mr. HUSBAND. I would like to explain, further, that there may appear in this what seem to be duplications in some instances, where, for instance, a man might be a member of the federation as an individual and still be a member of an organization or two that is affiliated. I do not want to have any appearance of padding it, or anything of the kind. I would also like to say that in our list of directors occurs the name of Mr. Asher Miner, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Mr. Asher Miner is a director of the Millers' National Federation, but is not in accord with the avowed policy of the federation in opposing the repeal of the present mixed-flour law. I also want to say that the Mystic Milling Co., of Sioux City, Iowa, asks that they be considered neutral, as far as their vote would be considered. The secretary of the Iowa Millers' Association wrote me that they had taken no action in the matter. At the annual meeting of the Millers' National Federation directors and delegates, which is the meeting that outlines the policy and to which meeting reports of officers are made, at the annual meeting held at Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Ill., April 9, 1915, the following preamble and resolution was unanimously adopted, that being the thirteenth annual meeting of the directors, delegates, and members. The resolution reads: PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTION UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED BY THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF DIRECTORS, DELEGATES, AND MEMBERS OF MILLERS' NATIONAL FEDERATION, HOTEL LA SALLE, CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 9, 1915. Whereas bread, the "staff of life," made from wheat flour, is of universal consumption, and the manufacture of wheat flour is one of the largest manufacturing industries of this country, with an invested capital of more than $349,152,000, a large part of whose product is exported to foreign countries, and the reputation of American-made wheat flour for purity and excellence of quality is deservedly high and superior to that of any other wheat flour made anywhere in the world; and Whereas for several years prior to 1898 the practice of adulterating wheat flour with the by-products of glucose and starch factories, with mineraline and barytes, and other materials containing matter injurious to health; and also the practice of mixing corn meal with wheat flour and then selling the flour thus adulterated and mixed for pure wheat flour and at pure wheat flour prices, was engaged in to such an extent as to constitute a menace to the public health and a positive injury to the legitimate milling industry of the country, thereby threatening the loss to that industry of its foreign as well as its domestic trade to such an extent that the National Board of Trade and the millers' organizations in 1898 had prepared and caused to be introduced in the House and Senate, in the second session of the Fifty-fifth Congress, a bill for the purpose of preventing the use of deleterious substances in the manufacture of pure-wheat flour and to require all mixed flour of any kind to be branded and sold for what it is; and Whereas there was at that time submitted to the appropriate committees of both Houses of Congress by the Department of Agriculture, the millers' executive committee, the Millers' National Federation, the Winter Wheat Millers' League, the Southwestern Wheat Millers' Association, the Illinois Millers' |