Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-09-27
MANY WEIGHTS
ARE DEFICIENT
Secretary Houck Tells SeaIers
Of Measures of Fraud Practices
MEET FOR ORGANIZATION
Plans to Reduce High Cost Of Living
buyers Must Get What They Pay
For-Association of County
and City Officials.

Especial Harrisburg Correspondence
Neutrality-suspicious. were formulated
here to decrease the high cost OF liv-
ing by seeing that consumers get, in
quantity at least, what they pay for.
The matter was taken up at the first
session Of the sealers of weights and
measures Of the cities, counties and
boroughs Of the State that have 80
far availed themselves of the provi-
sions Of the sealer act Of 1911. There
are now 40 sealers in the State, and
half of them attended the opening
session. The fact was pointed out
during the discussions Of the day that
the sealers have no authority to do
anything but standardize weights and
measures, and that where they find
dealers who purposely or unconscious
ly sell underweight or undermeasure
they cannot be brought to book for 1t.
AS a result, additional legislation will
be asked of the next session of the
Legislature. Chief James Sweeney,
of the Bureau of Standards, of the De-
partment of Internal Affairs, opened
the meeting, and Governor Tener and
Secretary Of Internal Affairs Houck
made addresses. The Governor spoke
of the Importance of the work Of the
sealers, and said it is necessary that
the housekeeper be protected from
fraud through their work. Secretary
Houck said that during the IL months
since the bureau was created 1854
weights and measures had been stand
j cd
ed monthly reports to the bureau, say
ing that few of the most active men
in the service are now making reports
to Chief Sweeney, although such re-
ports are not compulsory. The seal
ers making these reports have tested,
he said, 47,967 weights and measures
in their districts and found 11,7S8 de-
ficient. A number of short dry and
liquid measures and short weights
were exhibited by Chief Sweeney, and
he demonstrated how a huckster, in
selling potatoes, measured by one
peck measure, which really contained
but threequarters of peck, could
make an illegal profit Of $70e annually.
Spread of Smallpox.
State Health Commissioner Samuel
G. Dixon. after getting in touch by
telephone with his representatives at
Pittsburgh and Carbondale, made the
following statement of the spread of
smallpox in these places: "The state
is advising with DR.. Edwards, who is
acting as director of the public health
department of Pittsburgh. All cases
not in the hospital are now being
guarded both day and night The dis
ease is of virulent type. Chicken
pox is now being reported, as the law
requires, and the diagnosis is being
checked off by the city authorities.
There are several nuclei of infec-
ton, therefore we must expect more
cases. The spread at Carbondale was
because of failure of diffentiation
between chickenpox and smallpox
and an absolute disregard by the To-
cal authorities of the state law which
requires the quarantine of chicken
pox. The state has taken charge be-
cause of disagreement, and wants
united action between the Board of
Health and the City Council. We be-
lieve we have the epiemic we'll in
hand"