The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1891-08-13
VERY STUPID LAW
What the Weights and Measures
Should Be.
What Man Gets for Believing His
NeighbOr a Thief.
PART OF CODE WHICH is A FRAUD.

PART OF CODE WHICH is A FRAUD.
People who Come and Go-Brief Brevi-
ties of Interest to All Readers
of The Globe.
II. II. Sims, the standard keeper, brings
suit against J. w. Hutchins because he did
not comply with section 3,S41-the same
as printed below The case will be be-
fore ID. c. Gunter, and according to law
Hutchns will be obliged to pay. This
is the law:
Every person using weights or meas
urcs shall bring all his weights and meas
ures and steelyards, embracing balances
and other instruments used in weighing,
to the standard keeper of the county,
where such person shall reside or trade,
to be there tried by the standards and
every trader or dealer by profession, and
every miller, at least once in every two
years thereafter, shall cause their weights,
measures, steelyards, balances and other
instruments used in weighing, to be eX
amincd and adjusted by the standard
keeper of the county in which such
weights and measures are used; and the
standard keeper, when practicable, shall
mark, by stamp or brand, the weights,
measures, steelyards, balances and other
instruments used in weighing found or
made to agree with the standard, and
shall give certificate Of such eXamina-
ton and adjustment, stating the weights,
measures, steelyards, balances and other
instruments used in weighing by him eX
amincd and adjusted and every person
using buying or selling by weights and
measures, who shall neglect to comply
with the requisites of this section, shall
forfeit fifty dollars, to be recovered at the
instance of the standard keeper; ne-half
to his use and the other half to the use Of
the county wherein the offence is com
mitted.
The above law is about as much idioCy
as was ever printed Suppose that
Sims would regulate our scales to-day?
Well tomorrow we would change
them if we wanted to cheat-and no man
in business can afford to give short
wcights-the result is that for two years
we would be preying on the public
giving short weights.
Finally we refuse, and some catch
penny fellow like Sims comes in, not be-
cause it is right or business, but because
he makes complaints and gets half. Sup
pose on measures. We have lived here
year and left our grocery order. Other
men do the same. We tell Proctor or
Perry, or whoever it is, to send us gal
lon of vinegar. We are not with him
when he draws it; his measure may hold
over a gallon. If we thought either were
frauds we would not purchase of them.
1t is easy to tell.
Why not have standard man to
gauge circulations Of newspapers Why
not have one to gauge the quality Of
whiSkey and the amount the bottles
hold?
Why not have a standard cuss to see
if the religion which the parson talks
meets the requirement
Suppose ITutchins had taken his scales
up, if they were right or wrong? The
man Sims would have had no action
Then say that Sims had pronounced
them correct, and Mr.. Hutchins, with
the brand of truth glaring you in the
face had changed them and made twelve
ounces pound? What could you do :?
There is the evidence on the scales, the
brand saying they are all right, and there
is your meat which you bought for a
pound weighing but twelve ounces
The whole thing is a farce and some
legislation is needed.
lie uudu WHO NOUS lnlS elegant posi-
ton which presumes that all men are
thieves gets 10 cents for dry measures
and wet measures cents. For scales he
gets 25 cents The law should be hOoted
out of town. 1t is blank idocy
HOTEL DRIVER.
Mrs. Petway Changes the Name of the