The sun., 1909-02-06
7 WAYS OF WEIGHING SUGAR
AND Nj WRONG. SAYS PROSE-
CJTOR or the TRt ST.
Opening Argumcnt In Go, ,ernnient's suit
for $3.50, 600 1t Might Sue Tor
sos OOO,OOO sndcr the Law Corset
springs the Most ingenious rc,ite.

That the American Sugar Refining
Company az the Havemeye- Il Elder
plant in Williamsburg has boon seeking
| for years TO make false weights Of sugar
in order TO avoid paying full cuGyoms
duties and has exhausted almos. c;e:y
arti6cp to accomt,lish this was charged
Yesterday by Assistant United States
District Attorney Dennison in his opening
address 10 the jury empGEele1 in the
United States District Court 10 try the
suit of the Government TO recover $3.50 90
from the company as a penalty for de-
franding il OF duties by using fixed scales
The period covered is from December
1. 1901, 70 November 20, 1907. and in this
time the device used it is alleged, was
a system OF corset springs 80 fixed that
the SCALES gave short weights. The
Government is asking only for the for
:eiture value of the short weight, but
Mr.. Dennison at the start told the jury
that it had the right under the law Of
forfeitlre 10 ask for the value OF the en-
tire amount Of imported sugar weighed
on the seventeen scales so fixed in that
period. which would mean total Of $685.
900 100.
We expect to prove" he said. that
this defendant tho American Sugar Re-
fnlng Company of New York carried
out an intentional and deliberate case of
fraud on every cargo; that they had Il
trained band OF men whose duty it was to
consummate the fraud and that these
mon were treated with special consid-
eration.'
These men. Mr.. Dennison went on to
say, were under the care OF the super
intendent Of the refinery and il was
through information furnished by the
city weighers that the Government had
found 1t was being defrauded. The city
weighers weighed the sugar for the per-
sons who sold il to tho trust. This was
after the Government weiRhers had
weighed it. Out Of ffty-seven eases, he
said. there wore only two IN which the
CITY woishers had not got greater weight
than the Government weighers.
In these six years, Mr.. Dennison went
on to saw there were 5000 tons Of sugar
on which no duty had been paid, the Gov
ernment thus having been defrauded out
Of 81, ,25O, 600 in duties.
This" he said was onlv at one re-
finery. II was no accident but deliberate
fraud and In furtherance Of this scheme
this defendant has used every conceiv-
able method for procuring false Weights
MIR. Dennison had the different schemes
which he said the company had used all
nicely cataloeued and read them to the
jury Here they are:
/. Rolling the ball. Giving few turns
to the ball and fixing false balance.
.. Running in lighter trucks than the ones
Weighed before the sugar was put on the
scales.
2. Checker OF tho company using his
foot on the beam TO hold II down, making
/, necessary finally TO have the scales
boarded w.
4. ThroNing water on the scales 10 make
them heavier before the sugar was pat Oh
In order that more would be taken of.
S. Hanging hidden weights on the scale
beam.
6. Taking the sugar sweepincs and rush
ing them By the customs men without
weighing them.
:. Corset springs.
Mr.. Dennison described No. as the
newest and most ing genious plan Of all and
said that since the discovery Of this the
city weighers and the Government weigh
ers had agreed.
John b, Stanchfield Is defending the
sugar trust. No testimony was taken
yesterday and at the close Of Mr.. Denni-
sons address the case was adjourned
until Tuesday morning.