The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-13
DOOM OF The SHORT BARREL
POTATO DEALERS MIST DROP
THE uFiSIRE or HAkE ~ GOOD
They Talk Sf Potato Famine ~ the Re-
suit % the Enforcement Of the Law
aud Commissioner Talks Of Police
station ~ q Result st Violating %.

aud Commissioner Talks OF Police
station ~ . Result sr Violating o..
Clement J. DTisnoll. Commissioner Of
Weights aud Measures made II plain
yesterday afternoon To about twenty
i've members Of the local branch OF the
National League ~ Commission Msr.
chants. who held a conference with him
In the Council Chamber OF the city Hail
that after a date to he agreed upon later
there shall be no short measure potatp
barrels in Greater New York The com.
mission men admitted at the conference
that II Is doubtful whether single potato
barrel " the legal SIZE can h.' found IN
New York
You talk here ~ package Of pOta-
toes said Commissioner Driscoll. -but
when my inspectors visit vouT markets
these same short weight PACKAGES are
called barrels and are sold ~ sIch 4
trade custom and a statute are two dit
fer-nt things. hut Won get the habit Of
confusing them And M matter how
much II may Inconvenience Won to throw
away all the old barrels and get new ones,
Won can't go on this wsy IN open violation
OF the law You'll have 20 yet new barrels
or the farmers who ship To YOU will. or
stop selling potatoes IA thus c,ty hv the
barrel
| Assistant Corporation Counsel Millsrd
Sat beside Commissioner Dr,s,-oll 10 eye
plain legal points Mr Willard read to
- Q A -
solidated Laws Of 1919 which detail the
kind of barrels that not only the New
York commission dealers must have IN
| their markets hat which alEo farmers
outside Of the state must have made a.
soon a. possible Il they wish to -hip 10
the New York market The statute
which tn. commission men themselves
had passed says
| iArrel ~ pears. dui c"s "r po'ato--
shall req resent quantity equal 10 one
hundred quarts ~ grain or dry measure \
barrel shall be- ~ the following
I Dimensions Head diameter. ~, In' he's
I length Of slave. - inc - bulge. not less
than a. inches outside measurement. To he
known a. the standard apple barrel or
where the barrel shall d" made straight
or without q bulge. II shall contain tn" same
number OF cubic inches A. the standard
apple barrel Tverv person huyinx or
| selling potatoes IA this state nv
barrel shall he understood a. referring 10
the quantity oT lie ut the narr"l -recinsd
In this section. hut whom POTATOES are -old
by weight the quantity constituting
barrel .hall hs isa rounds No per~ou snau
make or cause tn " made barrels holding
less than the quantity herein spe' med know
ing OF having rea-on to believe that the
same are To 10 used for IN" sale 81 ApPle~.
uJftnces pears or potatoes. unless such
barrel - plainly marked IN the ou'sid"
thereot with the words abort barrel IN
Letters 81 not less thag one inch m height
No person IN this state shall u-r barrels
hereafter made for the sale 81 such articles
Of y size less than ~" -" -yr, iH"i m thi-
aection
The Commissioner laid stress IN IA"
word hereafter In tho last sentence To-
show that the manufacture ~ short
barrels should have been stopped long
ago The penalty for di-obedi"nce Of
the statute in any % iiS provisions - TO
forfeit 20 the people of thus State n sum
of s. for every barrel put M or made or
used IN violation 81 such provision
Although some 81 m. commission
wer- ~ the opinion that the New York
market handles about - IN barrels 81
patatOes a day still they feared that II
the New York state law wer" insisted
upon the potato growers - tn" South
and other sections would stop shipping
altogether Ia this, the largest potato
market in the country Besides they
said. they are now in the busiest part ~
their busiest season and thought u un-
Just to interfere with the trade now
II the law were enforced they argued |
the result would he a potato famine IN I
New York. They discussed Interstate !
commerce and the different weight and !
measure standards Of the different States |
Vow don't 60 int interstate com |
msrcc- Esid the Commissioner the /
only question here IL the standard barrel /
81 New York city. and n III" Norfolk /
barrel or any other barrel that dpa- not I
come mp to this ciiy's legal standard II ,
sent here and any II you dealers sell u ,
an a barrel 81 potatoes have the RICH, 7
To take you 10y the arm and Lead you To .
the nearest police station aud charge YOU 1
with n mi-deneanor I'm paid ~ uphold 4
the law and when I start in ~ anfprc.. n .
I am answered With threats ~ a potato /
famine and that am interfering in tn. .
busiest time 81 the year. Nevertheless (
I cant sit here and close my eyes TO open
violation OF the law.
L have a letter here from n merchant
which shows that recently he bought a
barrel % potatoes that weighed only 1872
pounds so loosr - the practice that 81
100 bags Of potatoes which We weighed
and you say the bag is the nearest 10 the
legal standard no two bags weighed the
same. They ranged from i55 pounds
down TO 100 pounds. instead of averagin
I7g pounds.
Nobody can tell me that these short
barrels. which every year are getting
shorter by the way. are not made smaller
purposely want To work with you.
not psrsecute you But after a date
agreed upon no short barrel will come
into this city even IL have to appeal To
the State authorities and Washington
for assistance. The only question to be
discussed at all II the date upon which
you think You can be- supplied with
standard barrels
l.. J. Lippmann. local dealer. sug-
gestsd that the commission men have
until January l to get rid " all the old