The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-04-19
He Found Out the Trouble.

There should be some method by
which the commission business in the
great centers could be renovated and
relieved of the dishonest dealers. The
shippers are doubtless swindled out of
thousands of dollars annually by those
who locate in the midst of the trade for
that purpose. If some methods could
be devised to weed out many of them
by requiring bonds and by putting them
under inspe ction, much might be gained.
A correspondent of Hoard's Dairy.
man tells how dairyman believed him
self to be victim of the rapacity of a
Chicago commission house and how he
decided to get at the bottom of the
fraud. This is the way he proceeded:
He consigned gilt-edged butter to his
Chicago house when quoted at thirty
two and one-half to thirty three cents.
He promptly got report of sales at
twenty-three to twenty-four and one
half cents with check. Similar sales
had been reported before, and he was
not quite satisfied. So he made his last
shipment with purpose of finding out
the trouble. After getting report of
sale, he took the night train for Chi
cago and next forenoon sauntered into
his commission HOUSEKEEPING perfect
stranger-to buy tub of the I" best
family butter in the house." Being
politely shown among a large lot of
tubs, he finally found what he was
looking for-one of his own make,
which flavor just suited, and he bought
it at thirty four cents a pound.
AS he could perfectly identify it by
a private mark, it is needless to say
that he " realized " at least the highest
price at the date he sent it, and had a
comfortable difference on something
over a ton that had been reported sold
at twenty.three to twenty.four and one
half cents only day or two before.
He also got plenty of explanations,
and apologies for such queer happen.
ings, but no more of his butter went to
this particular place. In account of
sale, of course the freight, carriage and
commission had all been properly de-
Quoted in the amount of check sent.
AS further indicating the methods of
some houses in reporting their sales,
the correspondent continues: An
other test of crooked work is at times
found in reporting sales of lot of, say
fifteen tubs of butter, when six or eight
single tubs will be sold at as many DIFF
ferent prices-perhaps marked "off
flavor" when in fact not less than four
or five tubs were filed from the same
churning with exactly the same butter.
A few tubs at about two cents below
the market and the balance at the top
figure will finish the report These
"cuts" have averaged the whole lot
several points below the proper figure
for the same, and the shipper is pre-
sumed to be satisfied. If not, he is POI
litely asked to ship more and promised
the "best efforts of the house in his
behalf. The same mOduS uiUendi to re.
duce the "average is used in cheese
sales. "Off flavor" is rather a plaus-
ible excuse to slaughter a quarter of
ton down to the figure for poorest
skins, while another quarter of ton
will go in the report of sale at from one
to two cents cut and a portion at top
quotatiOns-the entire lot being as near
alike as an experienced expert maker
can make it.-WeStern Rural.