The record-union., 1899-01-22
pie who wish to b regarded as fntelli-
gent ana self-respectings
WEIGHTS. AND MEASURES AGAIN

4
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AGAIN
+ Senator Mutt, by Senate bill "a, pro-
poses that the Legislature shall take
another turn at the business of seal
ing weights and measures, a much
abused question. The present law
is imperative. The one preced-
ing It was ineffective. Thus the people
have been left at the mercy and whim
OF dealers and sellers of commodities
There is absolutely no assurance that
one gets sixteen ounces to the pound
beyond the trust he reposes in the
seller of goods. There is no guarantee
that ton contains 2,24O pounds long
or 1900 short, nor that a yard stick
is thirty-six true inches in length.
In all civilized lands the law declares
the standards of weights and measures
and in most of them-Californi is one
OF the few exceptions-there is an Off
cial force provided to see to it thai
gallon measures holds four quarts, and
quart measure two pints, and whether
the weights of scales actually balance
the measure of goods they call for
since al small shortage in measures and
weights counts largely in the mer-
chants gains at the dead loss Of the
consumer
| Six years ago California endeavored
to establish official agencies to test
4 weights and measures. But the law
was crushed under a ruling which
| it is profitless to refer to now
Probably that law did open a door
for practices of extortion, and was
too cumbersome generally. Senator
Nuts bill seeks to avoid such
blunders. 1t provides that the Secre-
tary of State shall be ex-officio sealer of
weights and measures to apply the test
OF the State standards (Which it pur-
chased many years ago at great cost,
and which have never been used, and
lie rusting in the office of the Secretary
OF State) to the county standards, on
request of county sealers.
The Boards Of Supervisors are to
| name one county officer to act as coun-
ty sealer. who is to procure, at county
expense, set of standards. This sealer
may be removed from the office at any
time for good reason. The county sealer
may, by consent of the Supervisors, ap-
point as many deputies as are neces-
sary to attend to the business of cor
recting and sealing weights and meas
ures. These deputies serve only when
and as long as the county sealer detev-
mines. and they are to be paid S75 a
month each for time actually served,
and not from fees, but from the county
treasury as other employees are paid.
This removes wholly the objection to
the present law, that by reason of fees
and no limit to application Of the stand
ards, sealers could punish dealers and
amass small fortunes through corrupt
practices.
The new bill requires all persons
&4SAA&6 " DGa6AlS dAiA llcdSuISS Ill lld11iC
to have them officially stamped and
certified as correct by the county sealer
at least once each year. For the stamp
ing, certifying and recording the sealer
lis to collect fees not large or burden
some and these fees are to paid into
the county treasury as are other coun-
ty revenues.
The county sealer is to receive a sal
ary varying according to classification
of counties; he is to pay all the expenses
Of his Office incurred in the discharge
of its duties. This section of the bill
will probably be the cause of issues.
1t is by no means clear why the county
officer selected as sealer should have an
additional salary It would seem that
county Treasurers, for instance, might
discharge the duties without much ad-
dition to their official routine as Treas
urers, and that it would be better
plan to have the county pay the ex-
penses of the sealer, instead of salary
| ing him and requiring him to discharge
| the costs of the office.
But in any view of it the movement
Of the bill is in right direction. If it
is in any detail defective that can be
corrected, and the people given a law
that viii be operative. The honest
dealer will not object to sealing his
weights and measures once year. The
cheating seller should be compelled to
| tote fair.