The Washington times., 1907-04-03

Recent discussions In the daily press
OF some Of the leading cities Of the
country has developed the startling fact
that q long suffering. cOntiding public
has been for years paying out large
sums of money TO retail dealers in Ger
tain necessities and luxurics, receiving
in return scant measure. which in the
aggregate has amounted TO a colossal
robbery. That the American people Ike
10 be fooled and viii pay literally for
enjoying that special privilege, seems TO
be universal
Municipal governments have devoted
mucn time, thought and money TO the
questions of civic improvements in their
mulufarlous forms and political econ
omies, sspeciauyoto that branch Of the
public safeties that has TO deal with
the health of the communities. But
scarcely any attention has been given
TO the little robberies that have recent
Is been uncovered in other cities where
the retail dealers have been ensnaring
the people thro III the medium OF short
measure.
1t has been found where these in
vestigations nave been made that deal
ers in ice cream. milk. oysters and ber-
ries. especially among the lee cream
retail dealers who sell pint. quart OF
more in paper boxes ana milk In DOT
ties. that the alEesed quarts run Ii1ll
three 20 four ounces short or what inc
customer asks and pays for from the
standard OF thiTty-two ounces 10 me
quart
Haskell Says Measures Are o. K.
Col. William C. Haskell, sealer Of
weights and measures for the District,
Ia
as TO what the conditions were here;
If the retailers were selling short meas
IRE in Ice cream boxes, MIX bottles.
etc. said: mo. Not as far as I have
been able TO learn For several weeks
past we have been in the field actively
engaged collecting boxes in which ice
cream is sold at retail. as well as milk
bottles. and find that IN. nearly every
instance where these boxes have been
teStrG under Our STANDARD lheN are al
right. But it was not always SO. Three
years ago when special attention was
nrsC gwen 10 this matter our inspec-
tors foun 4 practically all OF the manu-
featured paper measures Tor Ice cream
oysters and milk bottles were short from
one to four ounces from the thirly-tWO
ounces for the standard quart
-OhClal attention being called to the
matter, ana the retail dealers required
10 mark plainly on their boxes exact
~ what they would hold and sell them
fOT that quantity, the manufacturers of
these paper measures and bottles were
soon forced 10 meet the requirements
of Our iaw in making standard meas
Ures. The result has been that honest
measure is the rule here. although Oc-
casiOnauy we find some one that has
boxes below the standard. But when
found and warned the Offense is seldom
committed the second time
1t is a strange fact however" con-
tined Col. Haskell. that 4 flexible paper
package measuring only thirty ounces
viii easily hold a quart Of ice cream.
milk or oysters. This is due 10 the
Iact that the paper expands OF buises
out, making a displacement equal TO
the shortage of two ounces.
we have very nearly covered the
city and find all dealers ready for the
spring and summer trade with standard
boxes IN stock. However, the campaign
viii not relax, but will be kept in force
and our inspectors will take samples of
tacse measures all over the city air the
We find violation of the law the offend-
ers will be prosecuted. "
Referring TO the milk bottles. Colonel
Haskell said 1T was a hard matter for
glassblOweFS to make a milk bottle OF
the exact standard measure. that where
there was any variation from standard
under or over IL was so small a not TO
be worthy of attention As to the oyster
measure Colonel Haskell thought that
the customer received fun measure for
what he paid.
Asked about the berry boxes that are