The Washington times., 1901-10-23
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT.
Hucksters Charged With Selling
From Short Measures.
Advised Not to Pn-
trOnize Them UnIess the Law Is
Complied With-Question of PIac-
Ing Tax Notices on Vacant Lots.

| Col. w. c. Haskell, Sealer of Weights
| and Measures for the District, has in
| augurated an inspection of the measures
| used by hucksters, with a view to stop
ping dishonest dealing through the sale of
| vegetables and other articles in vessels
| not up to standard capacity. Mr.. Has
| kell states that his attention has been
| called many times to the practice of
| hucksters selling potatoes, for example. at
| less price than that asked by the regular
| dealers. and he said that the opinion had
| been often expressed that this could not
| be done except on the basis of short
| measure.
Mr.. Haskell stated that owing to the
| short force in his Office he had been I'M
able until recently to take up the matter
| Since the appointment of Leo S. Schoen-
thai as a second assistant in his Office,
MIR. Haskell said. he had been in a posi-
tion to give some attention to the huck-
sters. and he declared that he would not
| let up until every one in the District used
an honest measure. Mr.. Haskell received
a report yesterday frcm his assistant,
| in which the results of one of the first
inspections is given, and which resulted in
the capture of two measures 81 per cent
short. The report is by Mr.. Schoenthal
and follows:
ION Saturday last, as directed, watch
ed the wagons of number of street ven
ders, or hucksters, who were operating
within my territory. and found the fol-
lowing evidence against two of them:
On Sixth Street southeast between G and
II, observed the wagon of one who was
reported to me as being in charge of Har-
vey Brown, of 7A Navy Place. Brown
proceeded with a sample of his ware to
I16 Sixth Street. He returned and filed
a bucket twice fun OF potatoes and emp
tied them into a half -bUshel basket and
took them to No. 776. ] walked up to the
premises just as the lady had finished
paying for the potatoes. l asked the man
how many potatoes he had there, and he
replied a peck. He admitted having
measured them in the bucket, and first
said that the way they had of measuring
would make a half peck weigh more than
the number of pounds required Dy law
Upon asking few questions of him he
said:
III bet they are not four potatoes out
Of the way
The second case was in reference to the
property of Edward Brown, residing on l.
Street southeast Lawrence Burgess, a
helper on the wagon offered for sale at 722
representing them to be a half peck. The
lady was just about to pay for them when
Informed or the shortage Burgess first
admitted using the bucket as measure,
and said he was told to do so by Brown.
Afterward he denied, and claimed that
he had used measure. In both cases L
personally saw the measures used.
"A lawful half peck contains 1888 cubic
inches, while these buckets contain 236
cubic inches or about 81 per cent less
than lawful half peck.
These are but two OF the many like
instances occurring every day, whereby
the houselleeper is duped and the respec-
table merchant made to compete with
prices that are often less than the whole
sale rates. ! have measured and weighed
potatoes in these two buckets which |
contscated, and find that the highest
weight obtained for potatoes packed in
and piled in cone shape, the top of which
is six inches above the measure. to be
but five and one-half pounds or two
pounds less than the weight required by
law for the half peck
which the people could aid the Office and
at the same time protect themselves, and
that was not to buy vegetables of a
street vender unless he shows his meas
ure with the stamp of the Sealer of
Weights and Measures OF the District of
Columbia. He said he hoped the people
would aid him in this way and report ev-
cry vender who offers vegetables in the
short-weight buckets.
Mrs. j. B. Pomeroy, of Newport, N. Y.
recently wrote to the Commissioners re
questing permission to pay water main
assessment upon the tender of the princi-
pal, in consideration of no service of
notice.
The report of the Assessor upon the
application was to the effect that the
owner of the property known as sublot
&c. in Tuttle's subdivision of the ''Widow's
Mite" is a nonresident. He states that
the notice of the assessment was never
properly served, being placed on the
open lot He says that the first three
installments of the assessment have been
sold, two of them to Charles II. Wiltsie,
of Rochester y. Y, and one TO Malcom
Hufty. The Assessor recommends that
these sales be declared void, and that the
assessment be received on presentation
OF the principal.
siouer, in passing upon the matter sub
mitted to his associates the following
statement:
the notice was served by placing the
assessment bill upon the lot, when It was
found impossible to locate the owner, it
is believed not to be good policy to de-
clare such notices as Improperly and in
effectually served until the courts have
rendered such a decision The amount
OF revenue involved is such that it does
not appear to be advisable to allow the
assessment to remain unpaid unless the
courts decide the assessments are uncol-
Iecuble"
At the instance of the Engineer Com
missioner a halt has been called in the
proceedings for the condemnation of GER
tain land in Tenleytown rs the site for
police station. Within the past few days
Leon Tobriner. acting for Christian Heu-
rich has offered TO sell the District
parcel Of land for the purpose at 2j cents
Il square foot. This parcel adjoins that
upon which condemnation proceedings
have been begun, and, though not suffi-
cient for the purpose. it will be necessary
TO condemn only part Of the tract TO
make up the necessary ground for the
station,
The Engineer Commissioner in view of
these facts, has forwarded to his associ-
atCs a recommendation that the offer be
accepted, and that the Attorney for the |
District be instructed 20 abandon the
present condemnation proceedings, and to
start condemnation proceedings for the
portion of the lot desired.
The question of the purchase of a site
for the chemical engine house for Con
grcss Heights, which was supposed t.
hc settled, has been reopencd. The Ict
was to be dedicated by \. L. Randi. for |
the purpose. and Mr.. Randle has made ont
deeds for two lots. one Of them being that |
at the corner Of Omaha Street and Mich |
OILS Avenue. X was found that the high
way extension plan cut of a portion of |
this lot, and the Commissioners could NOT |
accept it,
II is now understood that Mr.. RandIe |
win give the Commissioners the choice. of !
several lots and that a new site will be |
chosen.
CRIMINAL COURT CASES.