The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-02
OPPOSE HORSE AND WAGON
Merchants Protective As
sociation Object to New
Weights and Meas
ures Ordinance.
COMMITTEE TO VISIT ALDERMEN
Synopsis of the Provisions OF
the New Supple
ment.
COMMITTEE TO VISIT ALDERMEN

last evening, was prlnclpaily uSFotSo
a discussion of the proposed supplement
to the ordinance providing for the APP
pointment and government of an lnspec-
tor of Scales. Weights and Measures. Inns
supplement will be acted upon at tonlghts
meeting of the Board of Aldermen Inc
old ordinance provides for the payment OF
a salary to the inspector out OF the regu-
lar funds of the city. The supplement- IS
designed to provide for the inspectors
salary BY imposing fees upon the mer-
chants for the work of the inspector. 1t
is said that Mayor Hoos is behind the
supplement, and that it is part of his gen
eral effort to put every department on a
self-sustaining basis. The merchants
s~trenuously oppose this supplement, and
last might the association appointed q
committee of fifteen to attend the meeting
of the Board of Aldermen tonight. and do
all in its power to defeat its passage.
The committee is composed of Messrs.
J. w. Beach J. e. Banks. Albert d. Roy,
]. Wallace Black, E. A. Kaufman, Henry
Lane. Jacob Schmidt, e. A. Smyth,
Joseph S-chellenberger, H. Lahey, Robert
Anderson, Henry Hoersch, c. W. RE
mann. S. F. Sweezey and D. Crichton. The
association numbers three hundred and
sixty members, and it is possible that a
considerable proportion of these will ac-
company the committee. Mr.. Banks said
that the association had a hard time IN
securing the ordinance under which the
city is now operating.
1.-THE. supplement is not needed he
said. 1T is unjust in every measure. 1t
is special legislation. special taxation.
The association should not weaken in It's
efforts to retain the old ordinance. 1t IS
a question as to who shall pay the inspec-
tors salary, and furnish him with a horse
and wagon. We should not a It. l am
in favor of appointing a strong committee
to head 1t off and see if the old ordinance
cannot be kept in force"
Secretary Newton called attention to the
fact that every branch of the mercantile
trade was involved. He thought certain
sections especially should be protested
against. ]. ". Beach pronounced it a
nice little scheme to furnish a horse and
wagon with which the inspector could
ride around and do his work one day in
the week and spert around with it the
balance. 1t was an imposition on the
merchants, he said. He called attention
to the fact that 50 was the fee imposed
for inspecting coal scales Weighing over
1000 pounds, about five minute work.
The inspection of weights. scales and
measures. he said was for the benefit of
the public, and, he declared. the public
should pay for It. He thought the assoc
citation should go down in a body to the
meeting of the Aldermen tonight and en-
ter a protest.
Albert f. Roy made a motion to that
effect. Mr.. Beach thought a committee
of five would do more effective work.
His motion was amended by making the
number fifteen.
Mr.. William G. Meyer thought the COM
mittee should endeavor to ave the sup
plement laid over until September q. He
intimated the probability of the Inspector,
having been called to task for not prop
erly performing his duty, retaliating be-
hing Mayor Hoos. He did not believe the
Mayor would favor the passage of the or
dinance If he thought the business com
mundty was opposed to it.
The President suggested that the COM
mittee wait upon both the Mayor and the
Board of Aldermen and inform them that
the supplement was offensive to the mer-
chants.
The supplement prescribes that the In
spector shall inspect and examine, at
least once in each year, and as much Of
tener as he may think proper, "ail
weights, measures, scale beams, patent
balances, steel yards, and other instru-
ments used in weighing or measuring any
article intended to be purchased or sold
in the city of Jersey City"
The second section provides that every
device for weighing and measuring used
In the city must be inspected and stamped
and point out how they shall be stamped
Section 3 provides a penalty of s25 for
any person using an unstamped weight or
measure. The State standard is fixed ny
Section 4 as the STANDARD of weights and
measures in this city.
Section 5 provides a penalty of SIS for
imperfect weights, and Section 6, a pen
atty of $40 for refusing to exhibit scales
: or measures for examination on demand
For o~bstructing Inspector in his duties,
SIS is provided by Section Z, and Section s
says that all imperfect weights may he
adjusted in the store. or they may be
sent within three days after being dis
covered by the Inspector to his Office for
adjustment. Otherwise a penalty of SD
will be imposed.
Section 9.ARequires the Inspector to keer
a register and file a duplicate every year
with the City Clerk. while Section 10 pro-
vides that the Inspector must exercise
due care of various instruments.
These feees are fixed by Section H.
Every 1o-pound weight or upwards. {
cents; smaller denominations, 1 cent
every LIQUID measure, l cent; every dry
or yard measure. 2 cents; every instru-
ment used for weighing. 2 cents.
Section u. Provides any Instrument used
for weighing found so that it cannot be
adjusted. shall be enclosed: This lis tc
certify that this- has been tested
and found incorrect. and its use is hereby
forbidden until it shall be made to con
form to the authorized standard.
Section IS. Provides a penalty Of $40 fol-
any person using such instrument after
the notice has been attached, and a pen
atty of $40 for any person removing thu
tag.
Section IA. Provides fees as follows:-
Any instrument gagged to weigh 10
pounds or under, 6 cents; from 100 to %
pounds, IS cents; from $50 to 500 pounds
Is cents: from 500 to 1000 pounds. 8
cents. and over LOCO. 81: for marking yart
measures, 10 cents, and for each additional
yard with its subdivisions, 6 cents; fol
sealing and marking all other measures
of extension, 6 cents: for sealing every
weight, 2 cents: for sealing liquid and dry