Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-15
ROB CUSTOMERS
BYSHORT WEIGHT
SEALER MAKES STARTLING
REPORT TO MAYOR
AFFECTS MILK, BUTTER, FUEL,
BREAD, ICE AND GRAIN
Council VIII Be Asked to Authorize
Prosecutions of All Violators
of Ordinances in the
Future

use OF ScaleSs WelgulS Stiiu
certain merchants IN Los Angeles
sealer of Weights and Measures sam
uel w. Green yesterday caused May May VI VI
A. C. Harper to sit up and take hotice
and to decide that the facts Hlusl pe
laid before the city council
In his annual report le mayor hrsl
supeested the creation of this office as
a nrotection to consumers. the ldea
was carried out and Sanford Grant got
tbe annointment The fees were not
satisfactory. as the office proved not
to be self-supporting under Grants ad-
ministration and Green was named.
This, the first report of Green's s Two
months work, shows that announcer
deputy will enable the city TO increase
IT'S receipts and to prosecute cases IN
court. this prosecution serving a dou-
ble nurpose. Sealer Green's report Is
as follows:
Two Months Work
sIn compliance with your request OF
recent date we have the honor 10 SUP
NIT for your approval and such recon-
mendation as the nature of each re-
snactive case may. in your judgment
demand. a report of the work OF lnspec-
tion and certain special Investigations
conducted by me and under my super
vision during the past two months OF
since NV appointment to the position OF
sealer of weights and measures.
"During this time there has oeen
visited and inspected 800 places OF busl-
ness. containing 900 scales ana lo'o
measures; the fees collected amounted
IN about $3.50: scales adjusted, 2S4
measures condemned, 664, besides DOT
ties.
'.Inasmuch as by ordinance this office
is reouired to be Self-supporting; find
ing somewhat in arrears when we TOOK
charge, our first care has been to place
same on a sound financial basis, in or
der that our work might not be handi-
capped by a shortage of funds, ana IN
order to demonstrate its possibility as
a revenue producer
"Our Investigations disclose the fact
that there are about 1000 places subject
to such inspection and the fees will
average about 81. This work is being
pushed with the utmost vigor and VIII
be completed within the year.
MIX Bottles Short
inspection of the dair.es throughout
the city discloses the fact that there
has been in use during years past fully
1000 dozen pint and quart Dottles
which do not conform to standard
measure.
"The bottles were condemned and the
owners warned not to use again, but
as several thousands of them were
scattered throughout the city we al
lowed until April Is for withdrawal
from the market, under the assurance
that so fast as could be same would
be withdrawn from service. which re-
quest is being complied with.
eve find, however that many of the
short bottles are being sold by junk
dealers and others to dairies in adj
joining towns and beyon1 the outskirts
of the city and that many of them find
their way back into the market again
through different sources.
'"To obviate this feature of the case
we have asked the city council for an
ordinance giving this office power to-
confiscate and destroy all short meas
ures found in actual use. and another
ordinance prohibiting the sale of milk
bottles by others than regularly au-
thorized dealers in dairy supplies, upon
which the name of any dairy doing
business in this city is shown, and to-
make the penalty therefor the same asI
that for receiving and selling stolen
property.
Stop Bottle Traffic
"This would also put a stop to the
petty traffic in such milk bottles by
boys who steal them from places left
DY nDuSeDOiG6fS anu sell u lIl6 Jullh
dealers for a few pennies.
During the period of our inspection
of the dairies scarce a single milk can
of one or two gallons capacity was
found to conform to standard measure.
The three-gallon can, which is largely
used by dairies doing a wholesale busi-
ness, we find to more nearly conform
to the standards when new, with the
exception of one lot Of 5000, all of which
were below standard, but few of which
had been placed in service but when
these three-gallon cans have had a
long period of usage many of them be-
come badly dented and will measure
one pint to one quart short, rendering
frequent inspection necessary to dis
close same.
I'm this connection permit us to state
that we have observed a great many
rusty cans being used, more particu-
larly in outlying dairies, which rust ac-
clmulates a filthy deposit in cans and
would seem to require the attention of
the health department; at any rate
their use should be condemned.
Deceptive Butter Packages
"Our investigation of the butter traf-
Ec discloses the fact that excepting
two or three brands of butter, handled
by as many firms, there is scarce a full
weight pound package of butter sold in
os Angeles markets, 151a ounces being
admittedly the highest amount of but
ter placed in a square and 81 ounces
the highest amount placed in what is
termed roll and 1872 ounces is called
commonly and known among the trade
as the Standard square and 81 ounces
as the standard roll
1--WE found that there is being sold
upon this market then at least four
separate and distinct weights of butter,
the first containing 13 to 1874 ounces
and is intended to approximate 1872
ounces; the second containing from 1894
to 14A ounces and is intended to ap-
proximate IA ounces; the third con-
tanning from 1434 to 14A ounces and is
intended to approximate 151a ounces;
the last containing 15H ounces to 1874
ounces and intended to approximate
151a ounces, these variations being
caused by the slight shrinkage after
cutting and by slight variations in cut
ting.
Call Them "Rolls" Now
"The first named of the above is com
monty spoken of among tradesmen as
the light weight standard and the lat
ter as the standard full weight pack
age or when doubled in size are called
the standard roll and the lightweight
roll. There is no longer any marking
of tho weight of the package upon the
wrapper, as by so doing the actual and
correct weight must be shown to con-
form to the state pure food law. This
butter is billed by the wholesale trade
to the retail trade in terms of rolls
FNf nj