The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-25
TRACING FRAUDS IN WEIGHT
RAM DAY CLUE ~ To GET
AFTER PETTY THIEVENG.


and q 1hs CheAtlng FSuAd Net sure
mt Theres a. Mnch FFaaIi Uptown.
The Rainy Day Club is TO snjOy no care
free season this summer. II N going In 70
teach the helpless women Of New York
how they are being cheated by tra1esmsl
through short weights and measures.
The club has already got the assistance
Of Francis Mccoy. acting chief Of the
Mayors bureau Of weights and measures.
and club members have besn assured that
Mayor Gaynor himself IL interested in
their work.
Already the club through some Of It's
members has made polite raid. sO-callsd.
on the Fast Side. accompanied by an in
spectOr Of Mr.. McCoy's STAFF and has seem
the swindls known a. the short weight.
One day last week Inspector Smith ac-
cOmpaniel Mrs A. NJ Palmer. the presi-
dent: Mrs. l. NJ. Steeple. Mrs Prank
Mcwatters aud some others on tour OF
First avenue.
Near Twelfth street they came upon a
lish pedler whose scales weFe 20 adjusted
that the needle pointed 20 EsrO when the
pan that held the fiah was not in place.
30 a. the pan weighed about half a pound
every customer bought the half a pound
II pan While she thought she was buying
that much fish. Near by the Rainy Daisies
and their Official escort came upon a
butcher shop where the scales were acme
ounces out Of the true way. being man H.
ulated by an adjusting screw. The
Cooperation Counsel in due time will
deal with the culprils.
lie was q perfectly awful day. Mrs.
Palmer said yesterday. but Of oOuFse We
had on our rainy day suits. 20 were ready
for anything Providence might send.
And am really glad that that inspector
was with ~. He WAs q very nice young
man. but the way some d those people
We caught looked daGgsTs at him and az
IN made me think that next time should
want q bigger man. Why, they looked
~ though they could kin anybody they
didn't like with ease and Qualification
4 asked Inspector Smith II he wasn't
afraid. but he said no. that he had got
used 10 Il and that his badge Of ofaoe
commanded sufIlcisnt respect 20 carry
him through his duties. I am going
down into Little Italy next week. come
what may. but ! really think We ought
30 have not only numbers Of ourselves
ut-Well. when was engaged IN a health
crusade 0aee my husband gave ne q Bit
Of advios: IL you are bound 10 90 70
such places. he aaid. 'st least take ths
prscaution 10 find the p0liosman and
tell him oandiSly what you are about.
and aak him u. IN oaas you do not coms
out within a reasonable time. he viii
not look into the matter
However. our most efeotive work,
think, Ia not 70 be ~ much going into this
matter Of finding out just which dealers
are reaOrting n short weights and meAs-
uFes a. In educating the women Of the
neighhOrhOOds most viCtimized In that
way ~ % the methods u those who de-
fraud them 40 that the women may look
out for themselves. And I do not wish
% he invidiOus a. % neighborhOOds. In
fact. am firmly convinced that some Of
our large uptown merchants. do quite -
much Of that sort Of thing a. thOse further
down town Or over on the edges Of ths city.
may even say that am keeping an In
terepting record VI one Of my own msr-
chants and am fairly sure that will land
him yet lie says he n SURE u his scales
and Of course he il honest but. well, We
shall sse.
ION orr little expedition. to give only
one example ! PIT my hand into a loo o.
white beans. and what do you suppose
came up when | drew Il out? A large
iron ring Of course Il the merchant had
put his hand into that lot Of beans %
weigh ont some for a customer he would
have put the ring on the scales with the
beans and the customer would have
sun Tered by 40 much. / drew il out you
should have seen him look az 10. ugh -
and hsld IL up 10 the crowd that hat
gathered around Had! said they an
understand bad. good and all right
I
beans on the scale to show what the ring
meant 10 the buyer One woman was
quick 10 see Al. said she. / no more
buy of him. 60 10 him indicating q man
down the street.. he always give big
measure. big lot You know pantomims
Il very useful in education when language
IA lacking
-. 4. -. s....-...s... A.. -. A.. IL - A..
various settlement societies in our Work.
shall ask them 10 permit us 10 hold
meetings in their rooms and invits the
people Of their own districts 10 come and
Ist Ne show them the various devices By
which INSCRIPTIONS dealers pedlers and
merchants dsfraud them Of various pro-
portions Of what they think they are
buying Mr.. Mccoy has very kindly
Elven ~ opportunity 10 study the various
fraudulent weights and measures that h.
has seized. and We shall show by thess and
BY lantern alides how the work Ia done.
1T has always been my desire 10 help
women who for any reason were not IN
ne best position 10 help themselves. and
know Of no better work % this kind Ia
which We can engage nov man tnis ~ ne
hort weights and measures. whose VIC
inns are mainly those who can scarcely
Do expected 20 detect the petty frauds
DFactissd on them. The women Of the
,lub are sincere in tins work and are
lFeparsd b work hard.
sMr. Mccoy says that his work would
10 hslped 10 he had a woman inspector.
md We hops 20 have Mayor Gaynor ap-
point one or more. OF course ~ ] k@sp