The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-03-25
Light weights and short Meas.

A crying evil in the land Is the knayish
trickery which largely prevails in many
departments Of business, and which is
rapidly extending TO all others where it
will possibly apply. Inferior quality in
articles Of consumption, especially food
products, is comparatively easy Of detec-
tiop, and the merchant who habitually
deals in such goods soon reaps his Iegiti-
mate reward 10 the loss Of custom. But
the great evil from which the conScien-
tiosu dealer and the unsuSpectingconsu.
msr are alike suffering, Is the deliberate
fraud praticed In weights and measures.
The Light weights in fish have long been
known TO the wholesale dealers in that
article, and also, perhaps, to the wide
awake retailers.
Where dealers are posted, the proper
discount is Of course demanded and OBJ.
tanned and they suffer no loss, and il they,
too, are honest the consumers, who buy
from them are also protected from loss.
Unfortunately for the consumer, in these
times Of close competition, ali dealers
are not as honest as they should be, or as
they perhaps would be under less heavy
stress in business. In order, therefore
to make a margin OF profit they palm Of
OIL the ignorant retailer and the unsus'
peacting consumer light weights as full
weights.
The thing is easily done from the fact
that the weights and measures Of most
goods in packages have been SO long es-
tablished, either by law OF custom, that,
until the scales are removed from his
eyes the inexperienced retailer or the
careless consumer, when he buys q pack
age, never dreams that he is getting
ausht but the established weight or meas
ure. We will simply mention a few ar
ticles Of common use in which the con-
sumner who buys the package is liable to
be grossly defrauded. In the article Of
fsh the class Of merchants who do not
buy in large quantities are those who
are most likely, as a rule, 10 be imposed
upon. A half barrel Of fish should
contain one hundred pounds Of fish, but
instead 1t is more likely 10 contain
90 pounds, or even less. The whole
package should weigh about 145 pounds.
Quarter barrels should contain 80
pounds Of fsh, and the whole package
should weigh about 70 pounds. Twenty
pound kits, tub and fish, should weigh
about SO pounds. The purchaser should
never depend on the marks, for the IN.
scrupulous dealer can easily make those
proverbially truthful symbols great liars,
therefore put them on the scales. There
are hundreds Of dealers every where who
buy these short weights and deliberately
mark them up full weights. Customers
should stamp such with a brand as in.
delible as Gains.
Appointment grocery merchant of this
city was curious to know how 1t was that
manufacturers Of certain brands Of flour
were able to lay their products down at
his store door at from Is 10 20 cents per
barrel less than he could purchase equally
good flour from home manufacturers.
To satisfy himself he had the lot Zone
hundred barrels) weighed, barrel by bar
rel, and every barrel was twelve pounds
short in weight, or something over six
barrels in the whole lot. He knows ex-
actly why the home manufacturer could
not compete in price with the foreign
brand. The experience OF another firm
in this city was similar, except that in
their case the shortage was only eight
pounds per barrel. OF course, the short.
age was really nothing to these mer.
chunts-the loss would have fallen on
the consumers-but they are merchants
who will not deal in light weights il they
know it. To the consumer we say.
when you get a barrel Of flour weigh
1t. The average weight Of flour bar
rels is from IS to 90 pounds. II the
whole package weighs less than ZIG
pounds you are cheated out Of the differ
ence in -four. Just now when the price
Of kerosene oil has declined until there
Is scarcely a shade Of profit Tor the dealer,
merchants have found that their barrels
as tested by the U. s. gauger have been
deliberately marked up from two to three
gallons per barrel. They have also found
oils marked 1l2 degrees and up to $50
degrees test that were not over 90 degrees.
In this instance there was not only a
fraud committed but a crime, because It
endangers human life, as all low test oils
are liable TO explode. These are facts Of
which the mercantile community are
cognizant and il becomes the consumer to
lend his aid in breaking up all such fraud.
ulent manipulations Of the markets.