Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-09
SHORT AND IRREGULAR
Are Measures and Weights
Of Many Dealers,
CORRESPONDENT SAYS
sEALER HASKELL DISCUSSES THE
EXISTING LAWS.
Amendment Submitted to Congress
Will Be Considered at This Ses-
sion, It is Hoped.
CORRESPONDENT SAYS
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Our markets seem to have largely dis
carded the system Of weights and measures,
established by law, and have adopted
system that certainly affords abundant OPP
portunity for deception in regard to the
quantity of an article sold to a purchaser.
This system consists of boxes, bales, crates,
baskets etc, supposed to contain peck,
half bushel, bushel, quart, etc, but in
reality are little short For instance,
peach box, supposed to contain a bushel, Is
made to hold only three pecks. A TALL
concal-shaped slat basket, very much In
vogue and supposed to contain a half
bushel, holds only peck and half. Quart
berry boxes are short; so are the pint
boxes.
The same custom prevails in liquid meas
ure. What are supposed to be quart, pint
and half-pint bottles and TASKS do not
measure up to the standard. 1t takes five
such half-pint TASKS to hold quart and In
about the same proportion as to the others
There can be no question that this Is de-
signedly done for purpose, and that pur-
pose is to deceive and take advantage OF
purchasers. Peanuts are sold in paper
bags supposed to contain a pint by thou
sands and thousands, yet not one such bag
in thousand contains measured pint:
Such deception is practiced, in fact. by
article of necessity or luxury that enters
into daily life. No argument Is necessary
to establish that such practice is tiagrantly
wrong and should be stopped by the au-
thorities.
The standard of measure adopted for this
country should be rigidy maintained and
no other should be permitted to be substi-
tuted. Every vessel from which goods are
sold should contain fraction a multiple
of a bushel and should be so stamped by
the sealer of weights and measures, and
the same penalties imposed for using such
vessels unstamped as for using short and
unstamped peck or other measures.
If there Is one dRty more sacred than an
other that public officials and the press
owe to the people 1t is to protect them
from deception and injury, and hope
Commissioners will take up this subject and
secure the passage by Congress Of a rigid
law to stop this rapidly growing wrong.
The Star recently celebrated it's fftieth
anniversary Of unexampfed and uninter-
rupted prosperity by the issue Of souvenir
number, which from any and every point of
view probably has never been equaled in
this country.
In that number you ascribed your phe-
nomenal and wonderful success to the fact
that The Star has always been the advo-
cate and steadfast friend of the people,
and this. no doubt. is the true reason.
L appeal to you, therefore, in the name of
the common veal, to WELD your powerful
battery to correct this rapidly growing i'm
position upon your true frends-the people.
I. EDW. CLARK.
Sealer Haskell Talks.
In speaking of the matters to which at
tention Is called in Mr.. Clark's communica-
ton. Mr.. w. C. Haskell the District sealer
of weights and measures, said to a Star re-
porter:
Though the markets of the District are
regularly and frequently visited by in
speetors of the office of the sealer of
weights and measures and rigid exami-
ha aicrht
measures, etc, and conditions as to their
use, 1t would be quite impossible under any
circumstances to prevent all violations of
the law in the use of short or false meas
ures by certain dealers 1t has been the
disposition of the sealers office to educate
the dealers in the proper use of their
scales and measures, and to a certain ex-
tent give them the benefit Of the doubt and
another chance when they have been found
violating the law through ignorance of It,
Many prosecutions have been made in the
Police Court for such violations, however
and heavy fines imposed.
1T has been observed from personal in
vestigation that the conical buShel and half
bushel baskets used for the purpose of re-
failing produce etc, in the several markets
while used for the purpose of displaying
goods, are not used measures by which
they are sold In one part of the market
however, which the wholesalers alone are
supposed to occupy, these conical baskets
buckets and barrels are used. The conditions
there and Investigations made by the office
are fully commented upon In the report of
the sealer for the fiscal year ended June 80
1902
Amendments Submitted to Congress.
Amendments to the laws governing the
office were submitted to Congress at it's last
session. but owing to press of business fail
ed to receive final action. They are again
before that body at this session, and 1t is
the hope of those interested that they will
larly fla,
Within the past two weeks every market
has been visited and our Investigations dis
closed no use of baskets or other recepta-
cies as measures. and every scale, weight
And measure found In the markets was in
spected and sealed. The force OF the sealer's
office Is very small considering the amount
OF territory to be covered, and existing con-
ditions are investigated as closely as nos
sible
The office Is at all times ready and will
ing TO investigate reported violations and
the public Is requested to report such mat
ters to the office at any time, when they
will receive immediate attention. The pub
lie can very materially assist in the regula-
t,on OF these matters by insisting upon hav-
ing their purchases weighed measured in
duly inspected and stamped scales and
measures, and II a quart of beans is de-
sired or some other such commodity the
buyers should insist upon it's being meas
ureo ana not pay for a purchase at so
much box, believing that they are getting
. pint or quart, as the case may be.
Annoyed by Hucksters.
AS l stated in my last annual report"
continued Mr.. Haskell, 1.-The use of false
measures and baskets by the hucksters
throughout the District has given us con-
siderable annoyance; but, after a confisca-
ton of a large number of these measures
and baskets we find an Improvement. Since
our recent crusade against the hucksters
We have received some complaints from
them relative to the custom Of the whole
sale merchants in selling vegetables and
fruits in their original packages.
After personal investigation we found
that it was the custom of these merchants
TO sell potatoes lin the spring of the year,
by the barrel, for the reason that new pota-
toes Will not bear unnecessary handling
because the skin would be bruised and
knocked off and the potatoes would turn
black. They are received by the barrel:
each barrel of the uniform -four size Said
barrel contains about two bushels and three
pecks and the purchaser is so informed
~. he lant