The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-02-20
Ii T. l. y L r, M d.
F riday Morning, February 20, 1880
To Correspondents.
The Weighing of Live stock.

weighing by State officer, has not been re-
ceived with much favor by those interested
in the business So far as we can learn no
complaints have been made either by the dro-
vers, butchers or farmers, and as the scales
produce revenue to the State, which could
be increased, there appears to be no reason
why they should be abolished. Some system
of weighing is necessary, and farmers buying
cattle would accept with greater confidence
the certificate of sworn State weigher than
the owner of private scales
One change in the system might be made,
which would be great advantage to the far
mers of Hartford and Baltimore countless
From these counties fat cattle are frequently
taken to the city and sold to butchers in the
eastern section. Such cattle, whether one or
many, must be driven long distance through
the outskirts of the city, at great trouble and
unnecessary expense, to Calverton, and after
being weighed brought back again to the 9TH
er side of the city. 1t would be n great con-
venience if cattle brought into the city from
Hartford and Baltimore counties could be
weighed at the Eastern Hay Scales. There
need be no provision for penning them
They could be weighed, sold and taken away
Immediately.
The Baltimore Morning Hc,uM, in an arti-
Gle on the weighing of live stock, says that
the State scales were established forty years
ago, in consequence of the frequent disputes
which arose between the drOvers and butch
ers. Often times a single bullock or hog
would be slaughtered, for the purpose of as
ccrtaining its weight which would he made
criterion of arriving at the weight of the
herd. Even this process was not satisfactory,
because the killing and weighing were not
always done in the presence of all the parties
interested. Accordingly law was passed
by which all stock offered for sale To he
slaughtered must be weighed by sworn and
bonded State officer
The law is only applicable to such stock as
is sold for slaughtering purposes in the city
and vicinity. The State Weigher has moth
ing whatever to do with any cattle or hogs
brought to the Baltimore market for eXporta-
ton, OF for transmission to other cities on the
seaboard, although it very frequently hap
pens that dealers from abroad employ the
agency of the scales TO facilitate their trans
actions, but when stock going to other mar
kets is weighed it is entirely optional with
the owners thereof whether it is done or not
The fee for weighing, which at first was 81
cents per hundred pounds was afterwards
reduced to two cents per hundred pounds, for
weighing cattle, hogs and sheep. The fees
have always been paid by the vendors or dro-
yers, or the brokers, through whose nstru-
mentality the sales are made. As far as the
Herald has been able to ascertain their opin-
ion on the subject they are DESTROYS that the
law should remain unchanged.
While it was not intended that the scales
should be a source of revenue to the State
they have become so; for at the present rate
of fees and salaries the State cleared last year
a net revenue of $4,000.
The principal operations in live stock take
place on Monday, on which day from about
nine O'Clock in the morning until about two
in the afternoon the greatest activity is mani
fest at the scales and the yards in the immc-
date vicinity thereof. Buyers examine the
chases. The stock is then taken 10 the scales
and weighed, and certificates of the weight
given and the fees paid. This ends the work
so far as the State is concerned. fla farmer
desires to purchase stock cattle by the head
at his own estimate of the weight, the seller
is not obliged to weigh them
The officials employed are one Weighmas-
ter, three clerks, three weighcrs, three gate
Keepers, and one rcpairer of property, whose
combined salaries are $l1 300 year. Some
OF these employees are only employed to at
tend at the scales on Monday 1t is claimed
that there could with propricty be large re-
duction both in salaries and in the number of
persons employed, without imparing the eff
cheney of the service
The present system seems to be satisfactory
to the dealers, the butchers and the farmers,
and the weighing is done in a more econom-
ical manner than at the drove yards of either
Philadelphia or New York. In the latter
city, where there is no system of public
weighing, the yardagc expenses average for
ty-iivc cents per head, and in PHILADELPHIA
cliy the weighing fees usually amount TO
about twenty cents per head and the yarlagc
fees 10 about ten cents; making thirty cents
per head expenses attending the sale of cattle,
which ~ thirty three per cent, less than New
York, and twenty-five per cent. less than
fhlihdclpha. The saving of expenses on
transactions in hogs, is also less, including
weighing fees, here, than in PHILADELPHIA and
New York. In those cities the garbage is
about eight cents per head whilst here it is
only about five cents, including fees of
weighing.
IRISH RELIEF MEETNG.-.-A large crowd
assembled at the Academy of Music, in Balti-
more, on Friday night of last week, to receive
Hon. Charles S. Pamell. The receipts,
amounting to 81 600, Were appropriated TO
the relief Of the suffering and drstiution in
Ireland. Mr.. Parncll made a calm and dis
passionate address, in which lie pointed out
the evils Of the system of land tenure in Ire
land He showed that in that country
10000 men own 100000 acres of land, and
GOO men own onc-half of all the good land in
Ireland There are 10000 tenant farmers,
subject to arbitrary notice of their landlords,
mlny of whom do not live in the country
aid entrust their affairs to agents. Although
the land is not overcrowdcd, as compared
with other countries yet the people are stary
ing His remedy for the evils of the system
is TO sell the land TO tenants, to be paid for
in thirty five years. Mayor Latrobe presided
at the meeting, and in the list of Vice Presi-
dents We notice the names of Hon. Stevenson