Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-11
WHEN IS POUND
NOT A POUND?
ASK SOME GRoCERS AND SEE
FOR YOURSELF
Housewives object to short.Weight
Butter, Lard and Other Food
Products Put Up In
Packages
Sixteen ounces make one pound.
ono bttndred nottnde mako one hum


one hundred pounds make one hum
dred-weight.
Twenty hundred weights make one
ton.
That's the way 1t used to be.
Fully believing that merchants would
respect this mathematical combination
many young housewives of Los An
geles have consented to tying the mat
rimonial knot and embark upon the sea
of conjugal happiness.
But a discovery of "short weights"
made by several of the more enter
prising youthful housekeepers Of late
has put a noticeable damper upon the
rushing business usually done by
Clerks Watson and Shea Of the mar
riage license bureau within the past
week.
incidentally the business of the man.
ayers of the leading general merchan-
disc stores of this city, principally the
esta blishments dealing in butter,
cheese, crackers and other articles
which come supposedly in pound pack
ages or multiples thereof, has de-
creased, and the sale of certain ar
ticles has been accomplished only after
extensive persuasive argument on the
part of the floor manager or some
other able and qualified aid-de-camp.
Keeps Housewives Guessing
Tt is to be hoped that the recent dis
covery will not increase the amount of
business done by the divorce courts
or work toward the detriment of our
strenuous presidents admirable stand
against race suicide
However, a discovery of a system of
short weights has been made, and in
consequence a small catastrophe Is i'm
minent.
20 ft1a n
make her devoted husbands weekly in
come meet the household expenses is
busy with pad and pencil and with
reading glass and perhaps toothbrush
and bottle of ANN onia looking for
commercial deception.
That this system of short weights
exists is admitted by the leading gro
GERS of this city. Two of the most
prominent grocers have given out an
extensive interview proving this.
Protest Against Short Weight
The cry of the housewives is not
against the quality of the goods that
come in packages, but against the fact
that "the same thing may be had in
full measure when purchased by the
bulk, whereas when purchased by the
package there is almost without eX-
ception a shortage of at least two
ounces to every pound. .,..t
The retail grocers that are compelled
to handle this class of necessities that
come under the head of short weights
are claimed to be obliged to cater to
the wholesalers of same.
On the other hand. the local retail
ers that represent the more indepen-
dent stores are so situated as to Sc
cure their goods in a manner which
they themselves dictate.
Wholesalers VS.. Independents
Consequently they say they do not
handle the short weight articles and
the goods that leave their stores are
not only carefully weighed and found
to be of full measure before they are
placed on sale, but are examined as
to their chemical purity. W.
According to Ernest F. Howell, floor
manager of the Jevne company on
South Spring street, the short weight
articles. which he said includes all of
the above-named commodities, are not
handled by that concern unless of their
own manufacture. Mr.. Howell fully
demonstrated his allegations and the
average housewife need only be con-
suited to learn that the reverse. is true
as far asuthe smaller dealers are con-
cerned.
George A. Ralphs of the grocery firm
demonstrations. The latter even went
so far as to point out how the scales
used by the smaller dealers were
"fiXed" and the patrons led to believe
that when q ten pourd bucket of lard
was called for, if weighed upon abso-
lutely correct scales would prove there
was Il shortage of at least one ounce.
Square Deal
A..
grocery and ask for pound Of butter
they are given sixteen ounces of but
ter. When two pounds are asked for
they receive thirty-two ounces. A
square deal is the motto at that estab-
liShment
When customers call at the Jevne
grocery and ask for a ten-pound
bucket of lard they receive ten pounds.
A pound of butter there, too, means
sixteen ounces.
One of the disclosures made was the
hidden admission of a short weight
system that may be discovered upon
the paraffine wrappers upon certain
brands of butter.
These wrappers when carefully scru-
tinized will present an artistic covering
of filigree work, and woven In this are
the figures IA or" The scheme in it
self is worthy of praise owing to the
cleverness that has been exercised by
the manufacturers. But the spirit of
deception when once discovered by the
average housewife is seldom over
looked
Problem for the Women
The attitude toward this short
weight system is about evenly divided
among the patrons of the different
stores. ats
1t is an undenlable fact that where
Goods, aro I,ort IN, .,iV-tipht naclxa yes