Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-08-22

Dealers Find 1t u Hard Matter 10 COM
pete with the Fellows Who Appear to
Have No ConscienorE = People should
Weigh Their Purchases When They Have
Any Suspicious.
The substantial storekeepers of Will
mington find it difficult to compete
with transient dealers in produce and
table necessities from the fact that
many of the latter class are continu-
ally deceiving the people One of the
commonest methods is the use of short
measures and weights 1t is known that
many are in use in the city by UNI
ecrupulous dealers, who find il as easy
TO deceive the inspectors as the people
TO whom they SELL Hucksters are the
principal offenders, although all Of that
class arc not cheats. Those who are re-
duce the capacity OF their half peck
measures either by taking out stave
and reducing the partition accordingly,
or having false bottom. A reputable
dealer told reporter of THE Gazette
on Thursday that by the use of these
short measures, it takes five or six less
apples to fill up the measure than il
it were Of the standard size.
Therefore, it can readily be seen that
a person using the short measure can
well afford to reduce the price of the
commodities in which he deals. I'm
suspecting buyers naturally think they
have bargain by getting the articles
cheaper than some reputable dealer
asks, but really they are getting them no
cheaper and in many instances are pay
| ing more.
The reporters informant stated that
d day or two ago one of his customers
came along with what she supposed
was half peck Of tomatoes; at least
she paid for half a peck and the man
who sold them TO her filled the meas
ure. She purchased them more because
they appeared to be bargain than for
any other reason. She was passing the
store OF the reporters informant. and,
stopping in to purchase other articles,
inquired the cost of tomatoes at his
place He told her the cost, which was
the honest market value. WIN" she
exclaimed, | can sell them to YOU at
that price and make money. bouhgt
| these( exhibiting the ones in her basket1
IN the market at---per half peck
| (less than the storekeeper asked, and
they are every bit as good as yours. ~
"Pll guarantee you did not get fair
measure the storekeeper said, and
with the lady's permission he measur-
ed them and found that his SUPPOSE
ton was right The lady was at once
convinced that she had been cheated
and she was angry enough to go back
where she bought the tomatoes and
show the man up who sold them to her.
but she contented herself by assuring
the storekeeper that she would tell the
cheating dealer well about the swindle
the next time she had occasion TO 90
his way.
The reporter asked how it was that
these disreputable fellows succeed in
closing up the eyes of the officers.
"Oh, +" the merchant replied, 9TH ey
are sharp enough to keep from being
caught. The hucksters who swindle
the people, don't mean to say that
! all of them will cheat, but it is nv
belief that most of them do, and / have
positive knowledge that some are
| guilty-are always on the 20 and the in
spector seldom comes up with them.
| Ii he does, luck is generally with them
and they have good measure that they
show the officer of the law; so YOU will
see they seldom get into any trouble.
The cheats who occupy stands along
the curbstone and in the market house
are always prepared with good meas,
ures to show the officer. They are on
the lookout for him, and as a rule
have ample time TO hide their false
measures and bring out the standard
ones
1T is no wonder they can afford to
undersell reliable merchants who use
the measures and weights that are
tested regularly.
Several butchers about the city also
cheat their customers by using light
weights Some Of the weights are
good ones cut down. Sometimes thev
are reduced in weight by taking the
metal from the inside: sometimes thew
are pared down on the outside And
again there are some in use that are
made of light metal, The reporter was
informed Thursday that one or two
butchers are using weights which are
made of loaded wood and painted black
to resemble iron. Many of these weights
are Short by several ounces to the
pound. But most of the buyers are I'M
suspecting and they are not aware of
what they are really getting, and of
course, they do not know that they are
swindled. 1t would be a good plan if
people had means of weighing their
purchases after they get home. If a
few would weigh what they get, and
when they find the weight short report
u TO the seller a few times it would
have tendency 10 break up some Of
this roguery-for il ia nothing else
than roguery. One dealer suggested TO
the reporter that if law were passed
compelling butchers to use spring
! weights Of a certain standard it might
have good effect. it IL not so easy
to tamper with spring weights as it is
with weights used on balance scales.
Others besides butchers Tie the short
weights and when the sealer of weights
and measures comes around they nut
the bad ones away and get out the good
ones for inspection.
The butter man comes in for his
share OF misleading, too. Some dealers
in butter buy the product in the shane
of solid packed tub butter, and having
their own prints, measure it out to
suit themselves. They will mould ii
into divers shapes, and sell it for dairy
or creamery butter, as the case
may be. They have certain moulds
for dairy butter and certain other
moulds for creamery butter, while
it is all the same product and is
received by them solid packed from
dear only knows whore, and nobody but
the manufacturer, in many cases, can
tell of what it is made, But it is got
ten up to taste like the genuine article,
and as the shape goes a great ways
with most people they do not know
when they are cheated.
In addition to selling bogus butter for
good butter, many dealers get it up in
light weights also, and thus doubly
, swindle their customers. A gentleman
to whom the rennrter WAS talking stated