The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-07-19
HOUSEWIVES TOMAKE
GROCER TOE THE MARK

! st. Paul, July 12.-Women of Min
nesota are to have their say as TO
what the grocer, baker, or others
who provide the necessities of life,
shall sell with regard to weight,
measure and the like, if present
plans carry. A tentative form of
amendments to the present laws
governing weights and measures in
the state was drawn up yesterday
afternoon in Minneapolis by COM
mittee of representative women of
the State Federation of Women's
clubs. This form will be presented
to the state railroad and warehouse
commission for approval, and then
will be pressed upon the legislature
for passage.
The committee was as follows:
Mrs. w. ID. McCourt, st. Paul, presi-
dent of the high cost of living COM
mittee of ST. Paul; Mrs. Charles Neil
of st. Paul, chairman of the legisla-
tive committee of the Federation OF
Minnesota Club Women; Miss jose
phine Schain, Minneapolis, member
OF the legislative committee, and Mrs.
V. G. Sherman, president of the
Fifth district of the state federation.
The committee recently met with
members of the railroad and ware
house comission, and were inform
ed that the commissioners would as
sist in their plans.
What thes Women Propose.
Among the amendments proposed
are the following: A law requiring
that all dry commodities now sold
arbitrarily by either weight or meas
ure, shall always be sold either by
weight or numeral count. The fix
ing of legal weight per bushel for
all commodities not now named in
the laws.
A law requiring that any man in
public dealing must, upon request of
purchaser, give complete and prop
er bill of sale, whereby the guam
tity purchased is indicated in fixed
terms of weight or measure such as
pounds, tons, quarts, ETC., instead
of using terms of indefinite quantity,
such as load, box, bottle, etc, or
giving bill that shows ito one
chicken" to meat" Ito vegetables"
etc
A net weight package law requir-
ing that the net weight be stamped
plainly upon the outside of all or
iginal package containers of purchaS-
es as to quantity.
These amendments to the bylaws
will be revised by the committee at
a later meeting and will be presented
for approval to the warehouse and
railroad commissioners and later
the legislative committee will press
it's passage before the legislature.
The committee has been studying
the laws and regulations of weights
and measures as used in other states
and are governing themselves by
these laws.
While the potato market promises
to be the lowest in years, Minneso-
ia consumers of storage eggs and
butter next winter may be forced
to pay a higher price than last win
ter when retail prices on both prod
ucts reached 60 cents, says The
Minneapolis Journal Both butter
and egg storage receipts in the twin
cities show that supplies stored
away for next winter are now less
than SO per cent of amounts in stor-
age on the same date last year,
with the egg storage season practi-
cally at an end.
| Heavy demand of eastern markets
for Minnesota butter, drawing from
local dealers and advancing summer
prices, is said to be the cause of low
receipts of the storage houses. Prices
of eggs maintained level 33 1-3 per
cent higher all spring than last year
and the strong demand kept storage
men from the field.
| Egg consumption in Minnesota dur
ing the spring was approximately rs
per cent greater than last year, due,
it is said, to the improved grade of
products on the market. Co-opera-
ton of producers with buyers and
commission merchants to eradicate
stale and decayed eggs has given
the consumer the best grade ever
offered, according to dealers, and
, the consumption in the state increas-
ed correspondingly Rots and stale
eggs when shipped are checked back
against the shipper and by him
charged against the producer, so that
there has been little loss to dealers
from that source. Small and dirties
are culled from the case and only
candled first-grade eggs are sent to
the retailer.
The egg storage season has prac-
tically closed and indications are
that, with a 40 per cent shortage
in storage stock from last year, eggs
will reach a higher market next
winter than last, when, from Novem-
Der to March, the price ranged from
81 to 60 cents dozen, unless an
open fall increases the production
over average years.
, Butter receipts during the spring
and summer has been better than
last year, but demand of eastern
markets kept down the supply and
maintained prices. July and August
and even September butter may be
stored and there is yet chance that
enough of the supply will find it's
way to storage to keep the market
down to prices of last winter.