The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-05-23
GET AFTER COMMISSION men
Wholesalers Warned that Berries ship
ped in Unfair Boxes viii Be confis-
Gated by State and Not Permitted to
Be Sold in Kenosha Any Longer.

Did you see the marks on the berry
boxes today Agents of the state pure
food department. including Inspectors
Il. G. Larson and H. +. Scott of Madi-
son, came to Kenosha on Thursday
afternoon and began bombsrdment
OF the kenosha grocers and fruit deal
ers to enforce the new state law
against the use of short berry boxes
and while. no arrests were made by
the Inspectors and no warrants issued
dealers were given bad scare and
today every box of berries sold in
kenosha is marked to show just hew
near to quart or pint it is.
Most of them are short of the meas
ure for which they are sold and some
of the quart boxes found in the stores
on Thursday were fourteen cubic
inches short. Others were pretty close
to the quart demand, but the mer-
chants We're given to understand that
pretty close was not in keeping with
the provisions of the state laws and
they were Instructed that the boxes
must be marked so as to show just
how many berries they contained.
The local men We're prone to shift
the blame to the commission merchants
and the commission merchants pushed
it along to the growers way down in
Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi but
all the pushing did not do great
deal of good and the inspectors gave
the merchants just twelve hours in
which to get the boxes properly mark
ed with the understanding that should
they fail to carry out the order they
would be arrested and taken into
court and prosecuted under the state
laws.
The commission men showed a will
ingness to get real indignant and the
long distance telephones were kept
hot with their opinions of the law but
Commissioner Larson laid down the
law to the Chicago men and Informed
them that they could have the choice
OF quitting the business so far as Wis
consin was concerned or to have their
boxes properly labeled. All of them
promised to be good commission men
and in the future it is expected that
the men in Chicago will protect the
Kenosha merchants by shipping only
full quart crates to Kenosha or by
having the short boxes properly
stamped. Mr.. Larson declared that
men in Milwaukee had
sent a formal notice to all shippers
that berries in boxes not containing
full quart would be refused and these
men are carrying out this rule regard
less of the place from which the Der
ries are shipped. Some of the deal
ers are selling berries by dry meas
ure in order to get under the law and
others have resorted to the weight
system.
The Kenosha merchants have
shown a willingness to comply with
the new law said Mr.: Larson Thurs
day night following his strenuous af-
ternoon, and we are hot on the
trail of the commission men with
view of making it as easy as possible
for the local dealers. We are seeking
to have the right kind of boxes sold
to the local growers of small fruit and
hope in this way to find the solution
of all difficulties
The inspectors are moi giving all of
their time to the inspection of berry
boxes, but they are making inspectors
Of creameries, bakeries and other
places Of business and clean up orders
are being handed out right and left.
1t is declared that in some cases these
warnings have been given on other oc-
casions and arrests may be made be-
fore the visit of the inspectors is at
an end.