Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-06-13
FIGHT ON AGAINST
WEIGHT
ICE AND COAL
City Inspector Buchanan Hot
After Drivers Who Retail
Stolen Remnants.

When YOU buy ton Of coal, no"
much 90 you get?
How many 50-pound pieces are IN
3oo-pound block of ice?
These questions are giving Atlanta
consumers more brain flag than How
old is Ann" ever did W T Buchanan
citv inspector OF weights and measures,
is trying 10 make the answer easier 10
And BY putting wagon drivers IN the
stockade at the rate Of two or three
week.
I'VE sent at least 100 into the chain
gang for stealing from wagons, anu
I've got my eye on more" SAID MI
Buchanan today
Driver Retals On Side
Il isn't the fault of the coal dealer
that the ton of coal you order and pay
for is short 100 pounds when it iands
in your cellar. If you had watched II
unIoaded instead OF merely signing the
delivery slip, you might have noticed
that the driver left a couple OF busheis
in the wagon, hidden away up under
the seat with a basket and an old bag
ar TWO thrown over #. That's the
drivers rake-off. He drives down into
negro settlement or some other place
whore he has a steady customer walt
ing and sells that remnant OF coal lor
about half what it's worth. He puts
the money in his pocket. You lose
eoai the company loses its reputation
for fair dealing and it's bad business
sll round
The ice trade is almost as bad. An
ice company starts out wagon with
full ton of ice, in 300 pound blocks An
expert cutter can saw one of these
blocks into seven "50-pound" slabs and
the customer couldn't possibly detect
the shortage with the naked eye When
the driver has sold ton for the com
panv and collected coin and tickets to
be turned into the cashier he has some
thing over 500 pounds to peddle on his
own account, and the crooked drivers
know plenty of customers willing to
paw half price for stolen ice
Insist On Seeing 1t Weighed.
The only way to be sure of getting
vour fun weight from the ice wagon is
to insist on seeing it weighed. That
takes trouble, but It is worth It, Last
summer so MANY customers began to
betrav suspicion Of the theft that the
drivers got sore and refused to deliver
any more ice to persons who insisted
on the scales being used Inspector
Buchanan received complaints that
several families were being boycotted
and some Of those drivers went out to
the stockade for sojourn. There has
been little trouble Of that kind this
year. The ice companies are anxious
10 have their customers receive full
weight and would be glad If all custo-
mers would insist on seeing the scales.
Inspector Buchanan is regular
Sherlock Holmes in his speciality, which
consists Of coal ice and negroes. Sew
eral times a day his buggy drops in
behind coal wagon and trails that
load to it's destination II the driver
loads one basket and takes It into
house Mr. Buchanan makes mental
memorandum Then when the driver
goes on to the purchasers home and
unloads the rest Of the coal the inspec-
tor picks him up and they go down to
see Judge Broyles It's usually 80 days
in the stockade for the driver who goes
into the retail business on the side.
Right now is the time to buy coal
and be sure Of getting full weight"
say the dealers. People who buy It
by the basketful from dishonest drivers
don't want coal in the summer They
buy only as they need it, Besides, the
summer prices are on now, which
makes a big saving for the consumer
who sees long way ahead"