The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-07-01
Inspector KIeinhans and Prof.
Rice Investigate at Ottawa.
They Find About Half Wagon
Scales Are Defective.
WANT FAIR WEIGHTS.
If Scale Is Decorated With
Green Tag 1t Is o. X.
Other Items of General Interest
in Kansas.

Ottawa, Kan, July If you are an
ultimate consumer and are in the
frame of mind to buy a wagon load of
anything by weight, glance at the
scales upon which your dealer is apt 10
weigh the product. DO this before you
buy. If you see a little, round green
tag sticking on the scales you are safe
for the sealed scale is correct. If it
bears a brown Manila tag similar to a
shipping tag but bearing the title #
the office of state sealer of weights and
] assures, it has no right to be work.
ing for it is commercially incorrect
And this is the reason John A. Klein
hans. state food inspector of Kansas.
and Prof Martin E. Rice of the Uni
versitv. of Kansas were in Ottawa on
a scale testing expedition in behalf of
the state of Kansas.
About Half Are Defective.
In Ottawa Mr.. Kleinhans and Prof.
Rice found about half of the scales
working right-or practically SO-and
the other half defective. weighing short
or long to such an extent that the
merchant weighing on the scales Is
either cheating hinself-unconsciou
of course-or cheating whoever buys
the product that is weighed.
The new order of inspection of plat
form scales is similar in some respects
to the testing of grocery scales which
has been done so successfully by In
spector KleinhanS and his department
all winter and spring throughout the
state. 1t is done under authority of an
act of the state legislature passed at
the last session.
Mr.. Rice explained the purpose today
thus:
Every buyer in the state has right
10 know that he is getting fair weights.
T.xrnrxv ct nrp1<opnar coal llll-
herman or grain seller is under obliga-
lions to every customer he has to the
extent of giving him pure food and as
much of it as the consumer pays Tor.
The food department has made its
crusade for several months on the
quality of food and its cleanliness and
for the past six months getting time TO
get down to the quantity department
on smaller scales"
How They Test the Scales.
The test which Mr. Kleinhans ard
Mr. Rice made on the scales in Ottawa
IS as follows: Correct scale testing
weights to the extent of 1000 pounds
are placed upon wagon. The weights
are each so pounds and there are 4u
of them-figure it up for yourself The
wagon load of weights is driven onto
the scales and weighed. Then the
weights are thrown off onto the ground
and the empty wagon is weighed. II
the difference in the two marks is any
thing by one ton or 1000 POUNDS, theCe
is something wrong with the scales
They may be incorrect on either ex-
IRENE that is, weigh ''long" instead OF
short" In that case the dealer is told
of the discrepancy so that he may cor
rect them and have the county CLERK
inspect and remove the tag if the re-
pair has been successful.
If the scales are incorrect the in
spector comes to the merchants aid by
testing each corner of the scales thus
locating. if possible. the exact fault Of
the machinery. The merchant may
then have the scales repaired and re-
tested.
In testing the platform scales the in
spectors do not count the scale incor'
rect unless it weighs more than ter
pounds off, to the ton Anything les:
than that is not counted as sufficiently
faulty to condemn.
one pair of scales in Ottawa was
found to ~se 50 pounds "off' and on'
was within two and one-half pounds Il
the ton.
Scales Condemned at Emporia.
Emporia Kan, July 1.-Inspectiol
of the platform wagon scales here to
dav by state Inspector John Kleinhan
L d fnn Of