Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-30
.SEALER ON THE JOB
Haskell Tells Commissioners
of Past Years Work.
SUGGESTS IMPROVEMENTS
He Favors Better Inspection of
Flour.
WANTS AUTHORITY OVER COAL
Total Receipts Of the Office for Year
Were $3o,1e1; Expendi-
lures $14,25e.
SUGGESTS IMPROVEMENTS
AUTHORITY OVER COAL

urges that the inspection of the quality
of flour should come under the immediate
Supervision of the health department and
reneWs his recommendation for the pas
sage by Congress of bill which provides
In more satisfactory manner for the
inspection as to weight. He says the
| markets of the city are in very pros
porous condition and show a large in
crease in rental for stands and collections
at the farmers street markets.
He also says he is of the opinion that
the inspector of coal for the District
should be placed under the immediate
supervision of the sealer's Office. The
question Of national legislation in relation
to certain commodities shipped in orig
inal packages for interstate trade, a mat
ter which the bureau of standards has
under cons s.deration now, is touched upon,
and the sealer says there is great need
| for 1t. He says gas and electric meters
should be under his supervision, as we'll
| as those of taxicabs
He also advocates eliminating the fees
for testing weights and measures He
suggests this work be done at the rate
| OF 10 per cent a year.
Total Receipts Over $4,000.
The total receipts of the sealer's office
deposited with the collector of taxes
S~AAAONAsON ~ PsSopAVA.%ss CAPOhoAtOlOos SAfs-
259.55; net receipts, $15.9O1.72 an increase
of $4.601.64 over the net receipts for the
fiscal year 1903. In this amount Is in
cluded SASS in cash and bonus notes,
which was received for the choice of
stands in the. addition to the Eastern
Market. The total collections of the Of
flee. including S., .95 collected by the in
spectors of lumber. wood and -four. and
retained by them for their services,
amounted to $3J Sll. %
A comparison of the receipts for 1909.
amounting to $50. 1927, with the receipts
for the fiscal year 1908, the first year the
sealer had supervision of the divisions
above named. shows an increase Of $685.
O21.S4. In six years the total increase in
receipts from the markets alone amounted
to 80 per cent. or $9,362.41, and the in
crease In rents for stands and collections
to 50 per cent. or $6,S77.41. The receipts
for the inspection of scales, weights and
measures amounted to $6.823.A5. an in
crease of $S16.53 over the receipts for the
preceding year. The inspections num-
bered 26.O12 exceeding the number for
the previous year by 2. 1853. and ISL more
than the number of inspections in 1907.
Conditions as to the sale of commodities
and the use of standard scales, weights
and measures in the District are reported
very much improved. The Importance of
a close supervision of scales, weights and
measures can be best realized when 1t
Is considered that scarcely commodity
is bought or sold in which weights and
measures do not enter into the transac-
ton. and when systematic and thorough
inspections are not made.
Says Congress Should Act.
The work performed by the sealer's
office, he says, is a protection, and is
for the public good. There is necessity for
national legislation in relation to certain
for interstate trade, he claims. The
slightest fraction of short weight or
measure amounts in the aggregate to an
enormous sum Of money each year which
is lost to the consumer. AS an example
of this. 1t is stated that In flour put up
in bags or Jute sacks there is a shortage
of an average of four pounds to the
barrel.
There are over 300, 900 barrels of flour
consumed in the District annually, which
means a shortage in weight of 100000
pounds annually. At 3A cents per pound.
which is a fair average selling price per
pound, there Is loss of $4,000 to con-
sumers in the District each year. A
shortage of only one ounce in the weight
of loaf of bread means loss to con-
sumers In the District of $3.50 loaves
daily or $431.5O at > cents per loaf. Flour
Is only one of the many commodities the
| sealer says. sold in original packages. al
most all the other package and canned
goods showing the same relative short
age in weight or measure.
The matter of testing taximeterS was
| recently taken up by the sealers office
and all meters In use were tested. About
% per cent of those tested were con-
demned for repair and replaced with cor
rect ones. The Office had the co-opera-
ton OF the companies operating these
| machines. In the use of this instrument
of measure. as in all others. some dis
honest operator. the sealer says will find
| a way to manipulate the meters to his
own profit. and it is very necessary that
the public using these conveyances should
| look after its own interests to GER
tain extent to avoid being imposed upon
| by any operator who Is careless or dis
\ honest, as the case might be.
Believes in Concentration.
II am of the opinion" he continued,
| that the testing of all meters should be
concentrated under one head and placed
under the supervision of the sealer. This
would include gas and electric meters.
which should. In my judgment. receive at
least an annual inspection. the expense of
which should be nominal. sufficient only
to cover the cost Of the inspection. This,
think, would be a 6. eat source of salts
faction not only to the general public but
| to the companies also, as there is quite
per cent of these meters that register
deficient in the amount of gas and cleo
tricity used as well as registering excess. -
| Speaking of the markets. he says: Re
pairs to the buildings have been made
| each year to the extent of the money
available for that purpose. With the ex-
ception of the addition to the Eastern
market, which was completed In Decem-
ber of last year, these markets have been
| in use for more than thirty years and are
in need of extensive repairs to place them
in a modern condition as to sanitation. A
detailed statement of the improvements
necessary to be made to these markets,
which totals 80. 4O2. was included by the
sealer in his estimates of expenses for