New-York tribune., 1908-02-07
C4TE4T EUPTOR.

The latest report from the bureau of weights
and measures contains Illuminating digresslons
concerning the wiles of some food manufacturers
The war against false scales having been waged
SO persistentIv that trickery the part of the
retailer has become too hazardous for comfort.
the task of bambooZling ignorant and careless
buvers has been assigned to- men who put up
provendpr in bottles. wrappers and boxes Inc
authorities assure us that, honesty has be-
come profitable and hence the best policy for
the small grocer and butcher, manufacturers
have DEVELOPED an astoniShingly acute conscience
on all matters relating to sanitation and secure
packing. Fearful lest dreadful microbes shaW
their way through the thin glass formerly used,
some preserve manufacturers have greatly
thckenpt their jelly tumblers. The same whole
some terror of infection sways the hearts OF GER
tain packers. whose precautions. in the form OF
sanitary covers or wrappers. are set forth by
the bureaus reporter in the following eulogy:
II is claimed by the packers that this new
style of packing is preferred by purchasers on
account of this sanitary effect. Various SIZED
pieces Of bacon also hams. tongues, etc. all
neatly wrapped in heavy oiled paper. thck can
vas covering. or both are sold. A small
sized piece of the highest priced bacon tipped
the scale at two pounds eight ounces. Paper and
twine removed were found to weigh four ounces
leaving the piece of bacon weighing two pounds
four ounces net. This was found TO be general
The wrapper is sold together with
large amount of evaporation at ham prices. one
ham marked nine pounds weighed exactly seven
pounds gross. | did not find the net weight, as
! was not allowed to remove the canvas wrap
per On the whole | find that this so-cal1ed
sanitation and evaporation are commonly soid
at provision prices. The dealers tell me tilet
they were charged for such Wrappings by the
hackers They sell at their advance III price to
the public thus making enormous iilegitimate
profits that consumers have to pay when buying
sanitary provisions
Doubtless the small buyer VIII rage over these
Of which
unloaded on the public with its weight before
eyaporatiOn stamped on it and with a canvas
wrapper thick and heavs as armor plate en-
Swathng the shrunken shank. Chief Derry OF
the bureau of weights and measures shows his
sympathy with the humbugged purchaser by rec
ommending the enactment of met weight and
measure package law. Unquestonably there
is a certain need of some such legislation mas
much stupid people have to be protected
against their own witlessnesS now and then for
the common veal. But in open market the
manufacturers of commodities in germ proof
packages cannot work serious injustice 10 any
body. Their goods have to compete with the
thiny clad and wholly unprotected ones of com
petitors who fear no bacillus. And the fact that
the armor clad varieties are frequently much
cheaper than other kinds. measured by gross
weight proves that housewives have not forgot
ten the rule of cGredt emptOr through all the
distractions raised by bactcr:olOgy and the pure
food laws.
While the laws Chief Derry proposes for the
punishment Of traffickers in thick packages and
evaporation would doubtless many young
wife bitter tears they would deprive humanity
of of its most valuable sources of informa
ton and practical experience touching human
nature. Should lovely woman be prevented from
learning how the other sex puts up pickles in
bottles Of thumb thick glass and sometimes tries
TO double the grocery bill by weighing in wrap
acupneSS