Frank B. Black, a son of Joseph L. Black and a descendent of an early Scottish settler, was one of Sackville’s business elite through the first half of the 20th-century, having several businesses and investments in the region. Among these interests was the firm of Joseph L. Black and Sons Ltd. a multifaceted retail and supply business, that included the buying and selling of hay. In this document we see that Black was in touch with officials of the Maritime Office of the Canadian Department of Agriculture with respect to proposed changes to the system of inspection of hay and straw. It is perhaps a sign of Black’s influential position that S.J. Moore solicits Black’s input with respect to the proposed changes. In his response Black notes the likely impact of the changes on producers and dealers in Westmorland, pointing out that the only practical mechanism, both logistically and in terms of minimizing the imposition of additional costs, would be to authorize producers and “pressmen” to serve as inspectors. It is perhaps significant that his confessed bias is to not have such a system imposed at all, but he is politically astute enough to recognize that with momentum already moving toward such a system, the best course of action would be to try to ensure that such a system did not impose unduly on producers in the Tantramar area.