The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1882-03-17
miscellaneous.


Protection from Fraud in Fertilizers.
The folio wing is the text ola proposed law
for the prevention of fraud in the manufac.
ture and sale OF fertilizers in Hartford county,
as prepared by a committee ofthe Deer Creek
Farmers Club. 1t has been sent to the Har-
ford delegation at Annapolis:
An Act to Prevent Fraud in the Manu-
1acture and sale 0fCOmmerciaI FertiI-
Izers ana Bone Dust in Hartford COun-
ty.
SECTION |. BE il enacted by tie GeaeyM assembly
~ A0Wdhd, Ihat any person, company or corpor-
atlon, who shall offer, sell or expose for sale in
hartford county any commercial fertilizer or bone
dust me price of which exceeds ten dollars ton,
snail ailX to every package, in a conspicuous
place on the outside thereof, a plainly marked
ccrt1cate, stating the number of net pounds in
the package sold or offered for sale, the name or
trademark, under which the article is sold, the
name OF the manufacturer, and the place of man
utacture, and chemical analysis stating the
pcrcell age OF nitrogen or Its equivalent in am
monia In an available form. and whence derived /:
OF potash soluble in water, and whence derived !;
ana OF phosphOrc acid in an available form, (sO-
uole or reverted and whence derived as well rs
the total phosphOric acid.
SEC. Before any commercial fertilizer or
bone dust is sold or offered for sale the manufac-
turer, importer or party who causes 1t to be sold
or offered for sale within Hartford county, shall
ME with the Clerk to the County Commissioners
oil Hartford county, certified copy of the certi-
cate mentioned in the foregoing section of this
act, and also an affidavit that the analysis filed
mas been properly made by a competent chemist
ana snail deposit with said clerk sealed glass or
Tin vessel, containing not less than one pound of
the FERTILIZER or bone dust accompanied with an
aihdaNlt that II is fair average sample. And it
snail be the duty of said clerk to mark said depos-
Its with the name of the manufacturer, and keep
a record of the name of the person agent depos-
ltlng the same, and of the time when deposted
ana said Clerk shall receive fee of fifty cents
inr each deposit, to be paid by the person depos-
iting the same.
SEC. 3. The manufacturers importer or agent
OF any commercial fertilizer or bone dust, exceed
ing ten dollars per ton in price, shall pay annual
~, on or before the first day of May, license fee
OF twenty-five dollars, and shall give bond in the
sum of one thousand dollars, answerabIe for the
damages and fines herein after mentioned which
bond shall be satisfactory to and shall be filed
with SAID Clerk Tor the privilege of selling Of
ieflng Tor sale any commercial fertilizer or bone
dust in Hartford county, said fee to be paid to the
Clerk aforesaid; provided, that whenever the
manufacturer or importer shall have paid the
license fee herein required any persons acting
as agents for such manufacturer or importer,
such agents shall not be required to pay the fee
named in this section.
SEC. 3. All analyses of commercial fertilizers
or bone dust shall be made by an experienced
chemist, who shall be appointed by the Governor
ut the same time State officers are appointed the
SAID chemist TO serve for two years. or until his
successor is duly appointed and qualified. The
annual salary to be paid to said chemist shall be
five dollars, which shall he paid out of the Treas
ury of the State: The said chemist shall receive,
IN addition TO the said annual salary fee of S25
for each and every, analysis made by him under
the provisions of this act, 10 be paid by the said
CLERK out OF the funds in his hands arising from
licenses or fines.
SEC. 5. Said Clerk shall publish annually for
TWO weeks, in one or more newspapers OF the
county, beginning the first week in May, Il cor
rect report of all certificates filed, together with
statement of moneys received on account OF
license lees, and expended on account OF
analyses; and any surplus, arising from license
permits or fines, shall be placed TO the credit of
the public roads of Hartford county.
SEC, d.. ANY person DnTtV who shn II offer
expose Tor sale any commercial fertilizer or bone
dust without complying with the provisions OF
sections one, TWO, and three of this act or shall
permit an analysis To be attached to any package
of such fertilizer, stating that il contains larger
percentage OF any one or more of the constituents
named in section one of this act, than it really
does contain, shall be fined not less than two hun
dred dollars for the first ofense and not less than
hVe hundred dollars for every subsequent Of
Tense, and the offender, in all cases, shall also be
liable for damages sustained by the purchasers OF
such fertilizers; provided, however, that Il def
cheney OF one per cent. of nitrogen, potash or
phosphoric acid, claimed TO be contained, shall
not be considered us evidence of fraudulent in
tent.
SEC. I. Suit may be brought for the recovery
of fines and damages under the provisions of this
act, in the Circuit Court for Hartford county; and
ali fines so recovered shall be paid to the Clerk to
the County Commissioners, to be accounted for
and TO be disposed OF by him in the same manner
as the fees arising from licenses us provided for
in section q of this act.
SEC. s. The CLERK to the County Commission
erS, or some competent person, by him deputized,
IS HclcDy empowered 10 select from any package
of commercial fertilizer or bone dust sold in Har-
ford county, upon the request of the purchaser
quantity, not exceeding two pounds which shall
he securely enclosed in tin or glass vessel, and
deposited with the said Clerk who shall properly
number the same, but shall atliX no other marks
thereto. And the said Clerk shall correctly re-
cord the number of the sample, by whom deposit
ted, the date of the deposit the name of the arti-
Gle, and such other information as may be fur
nished by the depositor of the sample. And the
said Clerk shall give TO the said depostor a re-
ceipt for the sample setting forth the number by
which 1t is recorded, and the information fur
nished the said Clerk in regard thereto by the de-
positor. For every such record and receipt the
Clerk shall be entitled to fee of fly cents, to
be paid by the person deposting the sample. The
fee to the said Clerk or the person deputized by
him TO draw the said sample, shall be one dollar,
to be paid by the person requesting the said sam
pie to be drawn The sample numbered and
described shall be for analysis, to compare with
the sample deposited with said Clerk, as provided
in section of this act, and with the certificate
found on the packages from which the sample
was drawn.
SECS All suits for the recovery of fines I'M
der the provisions of this act shall be brought by
the Clerk to the County Commissioners in the
name of the State of Maryland.
SEC. TO- In every suit for the recovery of fines
or of damages, under the provisions of this act,
the Clerk to the County Commissioners shall for
ward to the chemist selected under the prOyis ons
commercial fertilizer or bone dust deposited with
the said Clerk by the party bringing the suit, and
the sworn report of the analysis of such CONNER
cial fertilizer or bone dust by the chemist afore
said, shall be received as evidence in the case.
SEC. IL. BE IL enacted, That all acts or parts of
are hereby repealed.
SEC. II. Be II enacted, that this act shall take
effect from the date of its passage
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