Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-03-30
MANY WEIGHTS AND
MEASURES SHORT
CONDITIONS IN MADISON FOUND
NOT WHOLLY GOOD BY FED
ERAL INSPECTOR.
GOVERNOR DAVIDSON RECEIVES
eERoRT OF STATE SEAL
Err SMITH.
Madison, March %

Madison, March %.
Tbe 6nadequacy of Wisconsin laws
ralatipe TO the subject of weights
and measures ana the incomplete ma
chinery provided Tor the enforcement
y, the laws we have were subjects OF
brief discussion yesterday by Gov
erpor Davidson in an interview up
On the subject matter of a report
made to him by State Sealer Leon
ard s. smith. Governor Davidson has
nearly all his lifetime been engaged
N the business of general merchah
dising. dealing largely with the PEG.
nile both as a buyer and a seller OF
commodities and be knows the I'M
Dortance to the people OIL corree'
Weights and measurements in the
hands of those who buy and sell.
..Tbe truth of the matter is, SAID
Covernor davidson, that our law IS
wholly insufficient while the provis-
,ons made for the protection OF the
neople. even in the law we nave ait
neglected so that conditions are rear
N appalling" And Governor DaVld.
son called attention to the report Oh
the state sealer upon an inVesuga-
tion made by a federal inspector last
autumn of conditions in the city OF
Madison.
Intention to Defraud?
In that investigation. as appears
from the report of the Inspector
the capital city is one of those when
has not taken advantage OF the pow
ers granted by the legislature ana
because of tbs failure has no othclal
seaIer OF weights and measures, no
standards and no system OF inspec-
ton of the apparatus in commercial
use. The general conditions exist
ing throughout the city, says this
Official, las revealed by the inspec-
lions made. are very chaotic and re-
sult in very inaccurate determine
tions of quantity delivered; these In
accuracies result in nearly every case
IN short weight and measure. Here
also a large percentage OF the ap-
naratus in use is incorrect. Also
packages done up ready for deliver,
weighed by the inspector show thai
much short weight and measure is
actually being delivered without the
existence of any imperfect apparatus
TO which the shortages can be attrib-
uted. These cases, in the absence OF
any proof to the contrary, must be
considered as showing the existence
of the deliberate intention TO defraud
the purchaser.
Very few dry measures, other than
those of the bottomless type, are
in evidence in Madison. Large short
ages on most OF the dry commodities
sold necessarily result. Also large
number of merchants are here dis
pensing with dry measures altogetn-
er. These dealers no longer measure
these commodities when sold Ger
tain sized bags are, instead filed
with the commodity and delivered as
standard quantities. Filled 16pound
bags represent 'pecks'; S-pound bags
half pecks.' etc Since the method OF
filing varies with nearly every parcel
delivered. large inaccuracies are
bound to result Since accuracy, in
stead of guess-work, should charac-
ter;ze trade. this system should be
discouraged Should the amounts be
checked by weighing, however, this
method would be preferable TO any
now in general use
For the sale of dry commodities
LIQUID measures are largely resort
ed to, resulting in the discrepancies
that always follow this method OF
sale"
Full Weight Butter.
The inspector found here a very
gratifying condition in the matter OF
print butter. due, he thinks, to the
fact that the state university, larSr
producer, dominates largely the con-
ditions The university pound prints
of butter he found to average about
1897 ounces, net, "a result of ex-
IRENE accuracy" The average OF all
prints weighed was 1886.
Short Milk Bottles.
The methods employed in the re-
failing of milk by the university are
not nearly so creditable,' says the
inspector. Many bottles bearing
the L of w name, and used by them,
are short of standard size, some be-
ing short by nearly 10 per cent. SCv-
eral merchants handling university
milk state that they are not charged
with pints and quarts but with small
and large bottles, which seems to
indicate that the authorities are
aware of the shortage existing. The
practice of disposing of quantities of
commodities more or less short of
some established standard. by the
vague and meaningless term of bot
lie bag. basket etc. is a con-
stantlv increasing tendency in pres
ent-dav trade and nearly always tends
10 Misrepresentation and fraud. The
adontion of this method of sale by a
state institution creates very unfor-
inmate precedent. and the demorali-
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