The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-05-17
| REPLYING TO HIS AccusERs
Gen. Frank A. Bond Answers
Charges of Ihc0mpetency.
NO RULES WERE VIOLATED
The Scaler of Weights and Measures
Correctly Tested and Insists That
Such shortcomings Attributed to
Him Are Impossible.

Gen. Frank A. Bond, seaer of weights
and measures for the District of Co.
lumbia, appeared before the Commission
ers this morning to answer to the charge
of incompetency, preferred by &. w. Mer-
rill and other coal dealers, as published
in The Times. As soon as the board had
convened, at II O'Clock, Gen. Bond sub
mitted the following formal answer to the
charges made against him:
.'In reply to the communication of Messrs
Merrill, Stevenson and Werner, have the
honor to say that all scales i'll the District
OF Columbia have received careful atten-
ton, and none have ever been certified
as correct unless wen withia the amount
of tolerance prescribed by your honorable
board.
"A order of the board ofdate April %,
1896, directs the sealer of weights and
measures to seize and destroy or condemn
until repaired any scale that is incorrect
to the amount Of ounce in each pounds.
This amounts TO 35 pounds to each ton OF
2,24o pounds, and as the team is always
weighed at the same time the coal is
weighed, the weight on the scales is never
generally nearer three tons. By the posi-
tive order of the board itIScompulsory with
us to certify to the correctness OF a coal
scale that does not show greater in
equality than 100 pounds to each three
tons, and | challenge anyone to specify
4 case where this order has ever been
violated.
1T is the invariable rule that when a
scale is incorrect to a noticeable extent
to write the amount OF error Oh the ticket,
and to notify the owner to have il repaired.
A s to the charge that the scales are not
tested TO their full capacity, it mast be
acknowledged that this is manifeStly inn
possible The total amount OF weights
furnished this office is 2 240 pounds This
is supplemented by weighing the horse and
wagon. but more than that cannot be done,
nor is it necessary, for scale In good con
dition that will weigh one ton correctly
will weigh correctly to the full Capacity
As to Mr.. Werner'S complaint as 10
the incorrectness of the scale at the sol
diers' Houe he is entirely at fault The
law creating this office specially exempts
all Government scales from our inspection,
and although we are frequently requested
to examine these scafessand always comply
they are entirely oHt Ofour jurisdiction and
we can only give infqrIH4l ton, bus have no
authority to condeInn. MIR. Werner is par
ticularly unhappy interfering 10 this case,
as it appears he gave very short weight in
a lot of coal furnished That institution, and
lac called upon me repeatedly TO help him
out OF the scrape. | twice examined the
scale at the Soldiers Rome, but could not
rlud anything radically wrong with it.
IF further information on this point
IS necessary | request That Major Parker,
of the Soldiers Home, be called upon. IN
der the circumstances I think il very nat
ural that Mr. Werner should wish the pres
ent sealer of weights and measures might
be removed.
Il desire to call attention here to the fact
that this being a salaried office, although
fees are collected sufficient TO make it self
supporting. there is no motive for the
sealer to discriminate against the coal
dealers, and l feel il my duty to ask the
board to carefully consider if it would be
good policy to have a sealer Of weights and
measures appointed at the instance OF the
coal dealers association. 1t might be To
the interest of the coal buyers TO have az
inspector of scales that for good cause
had become unpopular with d limited num-
Der of coal dealers.
There being no motive for the sealer
of weights and measures to make an incor-
rect test of scales and no proof that lie
has done so. the only question, in my
opinion, that remains to be considered is,
has duc diligence and attention been given
the business? In reply, point with pride
to the amount of fees collected and turned
over to the collector Of taxes. An ex-
animation of the sworn reports on file in
the secrctary's office will show that the
returns Of the present seaier of weights
and measures is greatly in excess ION
an average nearly doubled OF that Of any
former incumbent OF the office.
During the PAST fiscal year there were
condemned or destroyed 81 scales tsev-
eral OF them coal scales) 50 weights,
liquid measures and 80 dry measures.
The Commissioners took the matter I'M
der Amusement