Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-11
The Imposition Generally Practiced
on Buyers Of Strawberries.
CONSUMERS VICTIMS OF FRAUD
Open Sale to Hucksters and Others
. of the False Measures.
MARKET DEALERS ACT

ington, and the men who Justify repeat 1t
in front Of every other house will be seen
slowly walking along the concrete with
boxes of the delicious, red spring berries
in their hands, followed by a wagon laden
down with dozens Of the same sort Of ar
ticles. On the fruit and vegetable stands
in the various markets also the favorite
fruit Of the year will be piled high in in
viting pyramids of boxes. and everybody
will be happy over Strawberries and cream
or the inspiring short cake. The season
will be at Its height. for 1t always is when
are retailed at 10 cents
quart.
1t will be a fortunate individual, however.
who gets a full quart of Strawberries for
a dime. or any other stated price, II he
pure bases them in box that Is said to
contain that measurement, for the highly
popular box. sad to relate, seldom contains
more than a pint and a half. Everybody
knows what q strawberry box Is like, and
nearly everybody would be willing to swear
that it holds quart. Well, some Of them
do, but they are not used to any great
extent by the parties who sell strawberries
on the streets, nor are they universally
adopted by those who sell them in the
markets either.
Something About the Sales.
The box that is mostly sold in Washing
cially the agricultural supply stores along
Louisiana avenue. is the short quart" box.
The parties who sell them also keep full
quart boxes. but there Is very little call for
them. The prices at which the two kinds
are sold are as paradoxical as their dimen-
sions. The smaller or short quart box,
which holds only pint and half, sells at
60 cents per hundred; while the larger full
size quart box only brings SO cents per hun
dred.
The dealers who sell these boxes to huck-
sters, and market dealers as well, do not
misrepresent matters regarding them at
all. If a customer asks for fifty quart
strawberry boxes he will get them: if he
asks for fifty short quart boxes he will
get that variety.
I'VE keep them on sale because all the
other merchants in our line keep them,"
said a member of well-known agricultural
supply firm on Louisiana avenue between
9th and 10th streets to a Star reporter this
morning. I'VE sell them for what they
really are, and when we have call for
short quart boxes we fill 1t. We sell a thou
sand short quarts where we sell hundred
full quarts. If the other merchants would
agree to stop their sale we gladly would do
the same thing. It's wrong for dealers to
use them in selling berries provided they
represent them as containing quart. The
fact is, however, that the dealers charge as
much per box for their berries in most
every instance where they use the short
quarts. and say nothing about the quantity.
w no are our customers Tor snort boxes!
Well we sell as many to market dealers as
we do to street huSkSters."
Penalties Would Prohibit Their Sale.
Another member Of a firm in the same
line of business gave the same informa-
quart boxes.
1.-THE only way that I can see in which
the sale and use of short quarts or other
CHI ho cd fc hxy
making their possession a penalized Of
fense," he said. IF the Washington mer-
chants refused to handle such goods those
who wanted them would get them from
Norfolk and elsewhere. l don't know
whether there is any law providing that a
box containing berries should contain a
full quart or not. but if there is it is broken
generally In this town.
IT asked a retailer of berries once why
he sold them in short boxes" continued
the gentleman, land he said that straw
berries were shipped from the place they
were picked in full quart boxes and pur-
shaken together and packed tightly and
did not fill the box by a fourth. Conse
quently they were transferred to the short
boxes. He claimed there was really
quart of such berries in the box, only they
had been squeezed into smaller dimensions"
The Star reporter measured with beans
the capacity of one of the short quart box
es openly sold as described above, and
IOuTQ tudt IL COEtdlueu Out d pint duu d
slight quantity over half pint.
Market Dealers Mean Business.
The, Market Dealers Cooperative Asso-
citation has taken the question up and it
is probable that a vigorous prosecution
Of those who use the short quarts will
be undertaken. At a recent meeting Of
the association a committee, consisting Of
]. K. Mangum, the president of the as
ISOLATION; E. Price Brown and E. o. Kid
well, was appointed to confer with the
sealer of weights and measures and ascer-
tain If steps could not be taken to have
the evil obliterated.
1.-THE association has taken a determined
stand against the use of the small berry
short quart box" said Mr.. Mangum to
The Star reporter this morning. These
boxes are used principally by parties out
side of the markets. I do not believe any
dealers inside use them. Sixty quarts of
berries will fill ninety of these small boxes.
They are sold on the street and the buyer
believes he is getting a regular size box.
The members of our association are
pledged to destroy every short quart box
that come into their possession. We are
also going to endeavor to have resula-
ton size peach and tomato box adopted
Many of these boxes used at present 90
not hold more than three pecks, when they
are represented to hold a bushel. I laid
these matters before Mr.. Bond, the sealer
of weights and measures, yesterday and
he has them under consideration.
by the way" said Mr.. Mangum In con-
clusion, "our association would like The
Star to publish an important recommenda-
ton to the effect that berry boxes should
not be used the second time. The con-
sumner of the contents should destroy the
box as by the use of an old box the berries
are made moldy."
The Law In the Case.
Mr. Frank A. Bond, sealer of weights and
measures, said he had been considering the
subject in question, and was now awaiting
the receipt of a letter which Senator Nc
MILAN had written to the District Commits
sioners on the general matter of the law
regulating weights and measures.
I'm the act approved March 2, 1895" said
Mr.. Bond, which provided for the appoint
ment of a sealer and assistant sealer in
the District there Is paragraph under
which it may be possible to prevent the
sale of fruits and berries and other articles
In understood boxes or other measures. 1t
is section 10 of the law, and reads as fol
lows: No person shall sell or offer for sale
in any market or in the public streets or
alleys or anywhere in the District of Co
lumbia, any fruits, vegetables or berries In
crates baskets or other measures, or any
butter in prints, or any ice or coal, at or
for a greater weight or measure than the
true weight or measure thereof; and all
ice, coal, meats, poultry and provisions
Excepting vegetables sold by the head or