New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-05-06
ON SHORT WEIGHT LOSS
Commission Merchants Sag 1t Is
Great, but Not $1,000 900.

Commission merchants and wholesale and retail
dealers in foodstuffs in New York did not show
surprise yesterday when informed that Fritz Reich
mann. State Superintendent of Weights and Meas
ures, had estimated that purchasers of food in
small quantities were defrauded out of millions of
dollars annually through short weights and small
measures Some Of the retailers were disposed to
question the figure of S1OOOOOOO, but they would
offer figures of their own.
Merchants and dealers in foodstuffs who have had
to contend with competitors who were not above
selling under said that the chief difficulty
lay in the indifference or ignorance of the pur-
chasers themselves. IF my customers have any
reason to suspect that they not getting the
quantity of stun they for and suppose they
getting said grocer. They can remedy
the trouble by having the goods weighed over
again and then enter complaint to the police but
1t is the very exception when they take that
trouble" Marketmen along the West Side said It
would take whole army OF inspectors to prevent
the practice so long as customers were careless.
They had no doubt there were too many instances
OF intentional dishonesty in dealing with customers,
but they thought the consumer lost as much
through the failure of the dealer himself to keep
his scales and measures in order Often the dealer
might lose himself they said by this negligence or
ignorance, but he much more likely than his
customer TO discover that the latter was getting
more than he paying for
One of the chief methods by which customers are
mulcted is by buying foodstufs in prepared pack
ages tins. Under the Pure Food law the packers,
II they indicate the weight the labels covers,
must give the correct weight. but when this IS
found inconvenient, the packages numbered
!, ?, 3. 3 and TO- instead of l pound, . pounds 3
pounds. etc. Boxes cartons of raisins for in
stance, numbered according to sze-Nos. l.,
?, etc.-and placed the market where the aver
age customer buys them the supposition that
they contain 1 pound, pounds etc. and asks no
questions. AS the weight of the cartons is not in
Dictated, the packers violating the Pure
Food law.
One important retailer said yesterday that he
did not see how It would be possible offset this
practice until provision was made compelling
the placing of the weight or measure on every
package Such regulation might prevent the
hoodwinkng OF customers in the case of commodi-
ties put the market in packages, he thought but
would not obviate the necessity of frequent inspec
ton OF scales and measures.
Patrick Derry, Superintendent OF the Bureau of
Weights and Measures, who has been criticised by
Mr. Reichmann for inefficiency, refused to comment
on the State Superintendent statement that the
poor people OF New York cheated out OF $1O-
000. 600 annually. Il appointed by the Mayor"
said Mr. Derry. land responsible him. not
to this man in Albany. The Mayor knows whether
/ am attending to my business note At the
Mayors office it said that he had not yet had
opportunity to look into the subject.