The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-10-25

~ branch or work IN
der defined depart
ment Of state government.
There are numerous ways OF cheat
ing in the use OF scales. regardless 0
the size or make. The art OF seal,
building has advanced rapidly in tn,
last quarter century. but investigation
by various departments Of weights
and measures, both national and state
has disclosed the fact that the inven
! tive minds Of those whose unfOrtunat,
mental arrangement leads them TO de
fraud their fellow men, has kept pace
with this advance.
The most astounding fraud ever
perpetrated was that OF the famous
sugar trust fraud, in which the United
States government was robbed oi
many millions in import tax duty, by
the use OF small piece Of umbrella
steel to throw the scales out of bal
ance. But with most cases OF decep,
tion, the perpetrator becomes over
confident, and through carelessness
leaves a slight clue, which eventually
leads to discovery.
Rubber bands have been employed
to throw scales off correct balance,
bat as these are hard TO apply they
are not so commonly used.
A common method OF cheating is to
overload the scale counter weights
with lead and throw the balance to the
credit Of the scale owner.
But the most pernicious and in
genious OF these is a device recently
discovered by the department of
weights and measures which is under
the Jurisdiction Of the railroad and
warehouse commission of Minnesota.
This is a small piece of tempered
steel weighing 1872 OF an ounce, and is
used in scales for the purpose of add
ing to or shrinking the weight Of an
article. 1t can be carried in the vest
pocket and placed in position on the
scale in few seconds. II has the
advantage to the user of being re-
versible, that is to say, he can take
more in buying or give less in selling,
than the just and proper weight. The
device is in the nature of a false
knife-edge or pivot. 1t has small pro.
lection on one side, which when ap-
piled to a scale with the projec- |
tion towards the back end OF the |
scale beam the effect will be to make |
a load weigh less than correct, and the |
reverse is true when applied with the
projection toward the front end of the |
scale beam.
These devices are made so that the
use of them on a scale doc not af-
feet the beam action whereby an OBJ
server could tell that the scale was
not weighing correctly, as they allow
he beam free action.
The percentage of error in the use
II this device would differ, depending
lpon the make of scale and the null
iplying power of the scale beam. All |.
Gale beams have not the same meas
and On one scale the effect
vas 2lA per cent either in excess or
deficiency, depending upon how the
evice was placed and on another
Gale the effect was per cent either
'ay. On some Of the new type stock
Gales with full capacity beams, hav-
lg no CONFERENCE.-The, the effect {
'ould easily be 10 per cent Of the =.
,ad.
These figures are based upon the
that the scale would be
ut into perfect balance after the de-
Ice was inserted, but if by neglect or
esire the scale should not be bal
need after the device was put under 9
le fulcrum pivot of the beam, the Il
feet would be to give false weight =
about 200 pounds on any size load ',
addition to the 21a, 5, or 10 per cent -
J the case might be.
II one Of these devices were used
a scale beam for fraudulent pur- :,
,ses, it would undoubtedly be insert
in the loop from the rear of the n
,am, and thus could not be seen from u
e position in which one stands to :.
the weighing, hence the necessity VI
looking into the beam loops from u' u,
e rear of the beam to prove that ~ ~
ch a device is not being used. ~
At large stock shipping point in q
many complaints had been IL
celved relative to the weights over
certain stock scale. On investiga- ~
IN Of the scale it was discovered that AZ AZ
e Of these "shrinkers" was in use. w w
Ie commission Immediately started ~
special agent out to trace it up. ~
10 remarkable part OF the investi-
ton is that in the endeavor to find
2 origin Of this device, the trail led
rough the states of Minnesota, yo
va, Illinois, South Dakota and Wis
nsin, and going on the old theory,
here there is much smoke there fa