The San Francisco call., 1898-03-18

stipulated and regular salary for the per formance for such duties and not be al- lowed the arbitrary power or taxing the merchant whatever he pleases Tor carry ing on such an inspection. The pupHc should be protected from the frauds or unscrupulous retailers, but at the same time the merchants should not be. perse- cuted and robbed because they happen to use scales and measures in the opera ton of their business. whether II De proven that they use either true or bogus weights.
 My idea for the regulating of a desir able system of inspection is to invest Ine power in the hands Of the Police De- partment of the city. By the proposed scheme unnecessary expense would De abolished by the appointment of an m spector frcm the force who would be provided with the necessary machinery and materials for carrying on the lnVeStl- gation. This officer could be sent on q the city each day and could easily Tn. spect the scales. measures, etc, or that district, By appointing a different 70 oIncer ,,e every day the merchants would De un- able to bribe or buy him.
 This is my idea of the solution or the problem, and the only possible means or present law governing the appointment of SealerS. 1 think if the scheme were carried into effect it would prove both effective and at the same time inex- pensive.
 The mere thought of the construction of the present law is an insult to the m  common sense and notion of the dis tinction between right and wrong. think that the law should be entirely annulled or amended so that the sealer would be deprived of arbitrary power.
 HENRY HESTER, wholesale and re. tail grocer-If the law is passed 1t will be an oppression to all merchants and es- pecially those in my business. 1 do not see why the State insists on carrying into effect such obnoxious and slavedrivtnS laws as this. In no way will the mer- chant or the general public reap any ben efitS from it's adoption. It is an arbitrary power invested in an individual of the community from which no one but the in- spector himself will profit. If it was passed for and in the interests of the peo- pie it should be approved by them before it's adoption: In appointing this sealer the State neither asks the appreciation of the public nor pays the least heed to whatever objection that might be mada against it. The politicians who passed tha law wanted it, and the people as conSe- quence will have to tolerate it. I most as- suredly denounce the law as oppressive and antagonistic to the principles of lib- erty.
 WILLIAM c. OESTING, wholesale pros duce dealer-That such an act should ba passed is beyond my comprehension, aa the community will derive absolutely no benefit from it's adoption. The legislators who passed the law must have known or should have known at the time that it was encroaching upon the rights of mer- chants as citizens of the community; and they should have foreseen that they wer9 inflicting an enormous burden upon the merchants of every branch of industry. l am willing to see duly appointed official invested with the power of carrying on an inspection of weights and measures In the interests of the people at large, but I do not think that such an inspector should have the arbitrary prerogative of making an investigation whenever and as often as he pleases and charging a fee, the extent of which would be regulated by his own discretion. The law is an unjust one and should not be carried into effect.