Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-10-12
SHORT WEIGHT ALLEGED
Dealers Said to Have Sold Vege
tables by Liquid Measure.
Inspectors Claim That Five Burling-
ton Merchants Violated the Law
Cases Set for Hearing Friday
Afternoon in City Court.

Two inspectors Of the weight and
measure department OF the State visited
Burlington yesterday on a tour of in
spection and as result five warrants for
violation of the laws were sworn out by
Grand Juror s r. Moulton. The charges
were made by Inspectors c. s. Fleury Of
Swanton and T. ]. Moher of Rutland and
in each case the violation Is claimed to
consist of the use of liquid measures in
stead OF the measuring being done By
weight, as Is now required by law, Those
who. It is claimed. violated the law In
this respect are: G. II. Ellis, Ritchie's
Creamery, Mrs Adeline Saltus, j. O'Bren
Of Hyde street. and L. Coiodny OF North
Winooski avenue.
The inspectors went into stores un
heraded and bought goods in the ordinary
manner. In some places beans were pur-
chased and In others potatoes, apples and
other merchandise. About 50 was spent in
this matter and the purchases VIII oe
used as evidence If the cases are fought,
In ALL about 81 stores wero visited but
only these five were found to he irregular.
In no case We're the scales found to be
wrong, the close inspection made few
weeks ago having done away with that
most common trouble
| Both Mr. Fleury and Mr. Moher stated
! last evening that every merchant in the
| city had been warned on the first visit
| that their store would he visited again
/ and that If anything were found tn be
wrong prosecutions would follow, al
| though they were not obliged TO give any
! such warning.
The law distinctly provides that all dr.
| merchandise he measured by weight and
now in some of the stores which are
complying with the law, no liquid meas
ures can be found excepting where used
for measuring oil. etc. The reason for
this Is that some articles fill up meas
ure much moro quickly than others, when
there Is In reality nowhere near a. much
/ This means OF dealing has been much used
By street peddlers who buy their goods
by weight and dispose Of them by measure
and are therefore enabled TO cut prices.
At Ellis's. the inspectors report a short
weight in beans, of which they purchased
two quarts. by weighing they found
them to no seven ounces short, although
the liquid measure was well filled. At
| O'Brien's a shortage of five ounces was
! found in two quarts Of beans. and at the
Saltus place the shortage Is reported to
|
amount. At Coodny's the merchandise
purchased was potatoes and the inspectors
found half pound per peck out Of the
way. About the same shortage was
found at Ritchic's creamery, where a
half peck Of apples were three-quarters OF
pound under weight.
The inspectors stated last evening that
conditions were very bad in many towns,
]
vas not an honest measure in use or one
that could be purchased. 1t is their inten-
ton to cause rigid enforcement of the
laws and other inspectors win probably
be through the city within a short time
and visit the remaining stores. Another
thing which badly needs attention is the
manner in which the scales are loaded
with paper when a purchase is weighed
This Is especially true Of meat, which
sometimes carries with It fully half
pound of paper Other things which need
attention and which cannot be reached
by law are the goods done up In pack
ages They look to be pound in weight
and are bought with that understanding
but the law is cvaded when 1t does not
mention the weight on the package ana
II is 10 or IS per cent shy Inspector
Fleury said last evening that ne was
strongly In favor of selling eggs by
weight as many dishonest dealers were
now selecting the small eggs for local con-
sumption and selling them by the Dozen
while the large ones were being shipped
away.
The cases of those for whom warrants
. have been issued have been set Tor Fiji
, day afternoon at two o'clock In city court
When a pushed is hushel has been de-
, cided as below by the lawmakers of Yer
mont. and OF course the same proportion
, holds true in smaller quantities;
| Sec. 4sl1. Bushel of grain and Vege'