The times., 1897-04-29
THEY WANT BOND REMOVED.
Merchants Complain Of the Sealer
of Weights and Measures.
MAKE SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS
Say That He Neglects His BUSINESS
and Causes Serious Losses to
Coal Dealers Association Will
Prefer Charges Against Him.

mONtinSUbOi stutOHE iOtetA
merchants to oust F. A. Bond from the
position of sealer of weights and measures.
1t is alleged by those who desire his
dismissal that he is not only untitled to
fill that position, which should be held
by an expert, but that he is guilty OF
great laXity in the performance OF his
official duties.
The first step to bring about Nh Bonds
removal will be taken immediately upon
the confirma ton of Messrs Ross and
Black as Commissioners, when committee
from the Coal Dealers Associa uon, APP
pointed last Friday, and consisting of
G. W. Merrill, b. L.. Simpson, Richard
Werner, and A. NJ Stephenson, will wait
upon the board.
They will state to the Commissioners
that owing TO the ineompetency and negli
gence of the sealer of weights aud measures
their business, as well as that of merchants
in other lines of business in Washington, is
greatly injured, while the public generally
is subject to all manner Of swindling at
the hanGs OF unprincipled dealers. Tney
allege that MIR, Bond himself does not
enter his office for weeks at a time, being
in business in Jessups, Md, and residing
w
his assistant, and whom he leaves in
charge, they will assert, neglected his duties
last year, and gave his attention to @
bicycle store, which he conducted on Tenth
street.
They further say that owing TO this de-
plorable state of affairs the business of
inspecting scales in the District is not
properly conducted, and there are tosAy
not half a dozen out of 100 coal scales
which weigh accurately.
Furthermore, they accuse Mr. Bond of
neglecting to inspect the measures used by
the itinerant venders As this class of
dealers VIGOROUSLY give short measure, the
poorest class OF people those who canleast
afford it-are Systematically cheated
through this neglect, 1t is alleged that
when young Bond was asked about this
matter, and told that the inspection of all
measures used in the District is one of his
duties, he replied that he had not time to
attend Co such small matters.
All these circumsta nces Will be laid be-
fore the Commissioners for their oonsid
Grafton.
Several OF the members of the committee
were seen by Times reporter and told of
personal experiences they have had of
Charles Werner, at Ninth and streets
northwest, said:
Through the careless or incompetent In
spectiOn OF coal scales recently lost four
tons of coal. 1 had contract to supply
coal to the Soldiers Home After the goods
had been weighed on my scales they were
again weighed out at the home and alleged
to be four tons short, which difference
had To. L. Nft f.f.fh the s..ut.ac
had been tested by the sealer of weights
and measures and were marked with his
stamp, which is supposed 10 guarantee
accuracy.
still there was this great difference
between them, which could be explained
only by carelessness in inspecting.
lowing to inaccurate scalese resulting
from this loose manner of testing, we
are not only likely TO innocently cheat
our customers, but are also rendered liable
TO arrest, should any of our carts be taken
from the streets and found to contain less
than ton"
MI. Merrill, another of the committee,
who owns the coalyard at 600 New York
avenue, is also incensed against the meth
ods employed in the sealer's office.
1.-The last time the ins pector came
dTOuIiu, hc sdius uS my
scales accurate, when l called him back
and showed him that it weighed fifty
pounds light in two tons. Another in
stance l know of is IN feed store in
town whose scales were tested and
stamped all right, when upon examina-
tion, they were found to register 800
pounds light In car load.
There is also rank injustice In the way
the inspection of the measures of small
grocers is conducted Only the other day
a grocer related to me how the inspector
had come into the store, and without the
slightest pretense of examining it, picked
up a measure, aud stamping it, demanded
his fee.
Now, we pay the sealer of weights and
measures So, 500, and his assistant 81 200.
AL of this money S paid in by the dealers
who are affected, and / see 10 reason why
we cannot have man in the office who
will conducti it properly