Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1856-02-13
For the Star.
Inspection 81 Salt. ii

been introduced in the Senate OF fir-
ginia, tomake the inspection Of salt
compulsory in the counties Of Kan
awha and Mason, ! hope your readers
will pardon me for the space / shall
occupy in ypur paper, in giving a
brief history Of the laws regulating
the inspection Of this article for a
number Of years past. lido this, as
it may be the means Of calling atten-
tion to portions of the present code,
which, in the estimation Of able jur-
lists, renders the entire law upon this
subject 81 mere nullity. The revised
code Of 10, provides. ..that the
courts of'the county Of Kanawha and
Mason should, annually, in the months
of May Or June, appoint an Inspector.
Of. salt for each of the sail counties.
respectively. 1t defined the duties Of
both the inspectors and manufactures
offsaid article, in language clear and
unrnistakable. 1t provides that '.'every.
cask Or barrel of salt, before the same
should be ladened or put on board of
any boat or other vessel for transport
tation, should be submitted to the
view or examination of the inspector
of the proper county, or one Of his
deputies, who should inspect the
saine,n &c. For a violation of this
provision of the law, it provides q
penalty in these words: eff any per-
son shall put ON board any boat or
other vessel, for transportation, any
salt in barrels not inspected and bran
ded as aforesaid, every person 80 of
Tending, shall forfeit and pay the sum
twenty dollars for every barrel or
cas- TX go ladened or put on board. !"
Then followed a like penalty against
owners and liavigators Of vessels, for
rec civing ON board their vessels, fer
transportation, salt without inspec-
ton. ItHalso provided for the inspec-
ton and shipment of salt in bulk,
when the manufacturer desired TO ex-
port his salt in this way, annexiiig a
heavy penalty for a violation of the
law in this respect. HE IL .
Iu the year 1926, if l mistake not,
the Justices of Kanawha, a large
number Of whom were salt manufac-
|tlrers, anil Who co1ftroledr the action
of the court, refused to appoint in
spectors, lin order to avoid inspect ion.
The eonseque nee was, the legislature
of that winter passed the act Of Feb
ruarv the 18th, 1927, tol,nd in the
supplement to the code, chapter 337,
This act required clerk Of the county
to issue . summons, directed to the
sheriff. for all the justices of the
county to appear at the court house
on the first day of March term,t for
the appointment of inspectors. for
failing to attend to this duty, they
annexed thief following penalty: And
if the Justice 5 of said county shall
fail to make the appointments afore-
said, as herein before provided for,
mot havinga reasonable excuse there
for), they shall each and every one
them, forfeit and pay a fine Of twenty
dollars, for the benefit Of the literary
fund, to be recovered BY motion in
the Superior court of law for the
county aforesaid, with COSTS" &c.-
But in case this penalty should fail in
its object, in securing the regular APP
pointment ofinspectors, and the GER
tainty of Iinspecting, it further pro-
vided: 10 the end that the said in
spection Of salt may be regularly and
punctually enforced, the said inspcc-
tors for the time being, shall continue
in office and perform all the duties
thereof, until successors shall be reg
ularly appointed as above directed,
even though the term for which they
may have been appointed, shall have
expired This Act required the
name Of the county, and quality Of
the salt, to be branded in some dura-
bic manner upon the barrel, but not
the name of the manufacturer.
To secure to Observation-Disclosures
ed a good and understandable article,
whatever advantage this might afford
them in market, and toEprevent the
expectation and sale of inferior and
refused salt BY others, as well as to
stop the gradual increasing size ioi
barrels. The Act Of February the
10th, 1880, was passed, regulating
the size Of barrels, and requiring
sseyery manufacturer Of salt to pro
vide and keep a mark BY which his
own particular mandatory should be
distinguished, with which he shonld
brand in permanent and legible char
|acters. the head Of every barrel ID
which he may have packed salt, before
the same should be removed from tho
place where manufactured, under
. penalty or fifty cents for every bar.
rel Of salt not. branded ~ aforesaid =
Thus It will be seem, that II has
been the evident design Of. tlie vari,
Gus Legislatures, before whom thir
subject has been brought, to enforcs,
BY statute, the regular inspection d
salt; but IL Is equallytrne, that II has
been adiAicult matter to frame laws
that the astnte mannfacturers Of Kan
49, Z, ~ Is><,,. X ~, ,x,rfIn fFn