The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-02-17
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND,
Thursday Morning, February II, 1870.

PORTLAND d

"Macauay," New York correspondent of
tile Rochester Democrat who was himself
merchant for thirty years, thus exposes some
of the dishonest practices among the business
men of the metropolis:
The business men of this city are very dis
honest. This l know from close experience.
Ihey nave certain tricks of trade" as they
are called, which are nothing less than abso-
lutte stealing. Boxes of CASTLE soap and sim
liar goods are sold to country customers, who
little think that they pay Tor box and all at
full prices. The cheating on tare is ont
rageous. Tea in chests is estimated at 20
pounds tare, which is always allowed by the
importer, but a country dealer seldom gets
more than Is pounds. On half chests 12
pounds is allowed, while at the same time the
dealer marks the chests up a pound or two.
This marking up of weight corresponds to the
marking down Of tares. Casks of sugar,
which few country merchants can weigh, are
often marked up 20 pounds, and sometimes so
pounds. They tell good story of old H
H, well known grocer ON the North
side, who was notorious for his bOldnesS in
this line. The old man became at one time
quite piols, and when in such frame was
asked by clerk who had sold cask of sugar,
| if he SHOULD 90 il 20 pounds" "No, John
| NV was the reply, "don't go over ten, for Pm
| under concern OF mind" Molasses, spirits,
| turpentne, and other liquids are gauged up,
| which is very easily done. An original gauge
mark of say 81 gallons, can be easily altered
| into 3t,by using gauger's "scube" in a neat
manner. III that is not enough, q turn OF the
| scube can change the 81 into 35. As a gen.
| eral rule with many dealers, from l to gal
| Ions are made in each cask. Provision deal
ers steal in different manner. Barrels of
mackerel are opened in the bottom head, and
from twenty to thirty pounds are removed,
and the space filled up with salt. When the re-
taller opens the barrelhe always takes out the
top head, and here all looks right, but when
he gets to the bottom he finds half bushel
more salt than he expected. Pork and beef
are also thus stolen, and hence our Govern
ment supplies are often short. and men suffer
severely in consequence. l have referred to
but a few Of the different branches OF robbery
perpetrated among what are called honorable
men, for complete statement would fill a
volume.
One further instance may be cited, and
this is the fraud in essential oils. 1t is next
to impossible for any country druggist to buy
pure article of oil lemon, oil bergamot, oil
organum, or any similar oils. The reason OF
this is that spirits of turpentine mixes so nat
urally with these articles that detection is al
most impossible. In these oils our whole
sale druggists make enormous profits. Carry
ing out this idea, bold druggist contrived
not only to cheat country customers, but also
to fleece the trade at large. To do this he
employed machinist to initiate the metallic
seals which the manufacturers put upon the
cans. These cans he would unsolder, and
then steal about one tenth of the oil, and fill
it up with spirits of turpentiDe, and then ap-
ply the counterfeit seal. These cans would
then so into the hends of a drug broker,
and would be sold to the trade as pure
from the distiller's hands. This operator 1
know well. He is nothing but a thief, and
yet in society he is gentleman" He has
fine house and lives in style, but retribution
may yet reach him, and Though slow, it may
Ia