The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-08-28
ALL PALS MUST
WEIGH. THE SAME
BUT THE CONSUMER GETS SCRAP
TIN WHEN HE IS PAYING
FOR LARD.

The Evening Statesman has no fight
to make against the Inland Meat
company and no fight to make for or
against any other legitimate business
establishments in Walla Walla. The
business of the Statesman is to pub
lish the news fearlessly and to give
every one fair and square treatment,
business men as well as the public ard
even politicians.
Before giving publication to the
facts about the false bottoms and ex-
ira pieces of tin in the lard buckets
sold by the Inland Meat company, a
representative of The Statesman
went to one of the proprietors of the
meat market and showed him the
false bottom and the extra pieces of
tin in a bucket taken from the stock
in the market by Mr.. Mooney. himself
At that time, Mr.. Mooney offered no
further explanation than was given in
The Statesman and not until this noon
did Mr. Mooney or any representative
airy other explanation to any represen-
tative of The Statesman. Had he done
SO his explanation would have been
given the same publicity as the orig
inal story which was absolutely true
in every particular, and The States
man stands ready to substantiate it.,
and Mr.. Mooney admitted that it was
true in the Union of this morning.
However, in an interview with a
representative of that paper, Mr..
Mooney said: IF the Statesman rep
resentative had taken a little pains to
weigh both pals he would have found
that the two weigh just the same"
That may be true. The Statesman
to weigh all the buckets in town.
What he did do was to weigh the false
bottom and extra pieces of tin and
weigh the entire outfit and reported
the weight of both in the paper.
Put In More Lard.
If, as Mr.. Mooney says, the buckets
used by their company are of an in
feirior grade it would appear that the
proper thing to do would be to make
up the weight in lard rather than
with scrap tin. The purchaser must
not only pay for a cheap bucket but
must also gay for a lot of scrap tin
and thus get hit twice. If the consumer
must pay for the bucket why should
get an inferior one and then pay for
scrap tin thrown in to make up the
weight?
Another feature of this false bot
tom business which is still unex-
planned and to which the attention of
Mr.. Mooney was called by the States
man man is that the buckets are
bought by the piece and not by the
pound. This being true. what object
could the manufacturer have in put
ting on a false bottom and filling in
with extra pieces of tin? Certainly the
would not be making
extra by such a method. He
sells by the bucket and not by weight
put on that false bottom and throw in
those extra pieces of tir. just for fun.
The buckets are filled by the local
dealers so the manufacturer could get
no profit on the lard.
The fact remains that tie consumer
pays for that false bottom and those
extra pieces of tin and also for an in
ferior bucket into the bargain.
The columns of The Statesman are
open to Mr.. Mooney or any one else
who cares to explain or discuss this
matter and The Statesman would be
glad to publish anything that the In
land Meat company has to say.
1t is not the intention of The States
man to do any one an injustice. AS
far as The Statesman is concerned it
published the absolute truth about
false bottoms and extra pieces of tin
and has them in the office to speak
man representative went to the mar
ket of Mr.. Mooney and showed that
gentleman what he had in his estab-
lshment before giving the story pub
LEGATION. Certainly The Statesman did
everything fairly and openly and gave
Mr.. Mooney an opportunity to say
whatever he cared to in the matter.
1t was not the intention of this paper
to comment on the discovery any
further than to give the facts in a
straight news story, but since Mr..
Mooney has taken occasion to criti-
cize The Statesman representative, in
another paper, for not weighing all the
other lard buckets in the city, it is no
more than justice to Mr.. Mooney and
The Statesman representative that
the matter should be explained.
Discovery Made by Farmer.
The false bottom and extra pieces
of tin were discovered by E. S. Rus