The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-10
TO GOVERN THE SALE OF ALI
FOOD.

TO GOVERN THE SALE OF ALL
FOOD.
Sales of foodstuffs made In the
United States. in future years will
be supervised by the government If
the expectations of the bureau of
standards are fulfilled. The house
wife will be able to make her morn
ing purchase in full confidence that
she is receiving the proper amount
OF all things. Her -four will come to
her in a barrel measured by govern
ment officials. Her butter will be
weighed on scales bearing the federal
stamp beside that of the local in
spector. Her breakfast food will be
contained in package of guaranteed
dimensions, her bef-ns will be weigh
ed by the grocer instead of being
measured out, and her bushel of pota.
toes will contain exactly the proper
number of pounds.
This desired supervision by the
government is being worked out il
the national conferences on weights
and measures which are being held
each year by the bureau of standards
and which attract a large and repre-
sentative delegation of state and city
officials and scale manufacturers
Legislation mapped out and Endorsed
in these gatherings is being passed il;
congress little by little, while in the
states the laws relating to weigh.
and measures are gradually being uni
fed in accord with a model measure
drafted in the conference of 1906
Two resolutions adopted in the last
conference, which has just come to
close, mark out the way for definite
steps in this direction of federal sup
eryision. The first has to do with the
multitudinous forms of weighing APP
paratus now in use in this country.
For years manufacturers have been
putting out many types for many
trades. ranging all the way from the
old fashioned balance scales to self
registering, price indicating. electric
lighted apparatus that do everything
but wrap the goods up.
number OF the states have al
ready passed laws for the protection
of their citizens New York has al
law restricting the types and requir.
ing that every individual machine
carry upon it serial number given
it by the state inspectors. But the
different states have different require
ments, and there results confusion
for the manufacturer engaged in in
terstate trade that can only be clear.
ed away by the passage of a single
federal law.
The second resolution adopted in
the last national conference bears
upon the custom of marketmen and
grocers of measuring out dry produce.
peas, beans, or onions, as the case
may be, instead of Weighing it. One
grocer will gather up quart of peas
in two dips OF a pint measure. An
other will accomplish the same end
with single filing of quart meas
ure. AS a dry measure is heaping
measure, the amount of peas carried
in the "heaping' portion differs. the
larger mouthed vessel carrying more
than two of the smaller ones, and the
customer gains or loses, 1t is pointed
out. Deep, narrow measures and shall,
low, wide ones also vary In he
amount delivered to the customers,
although both may be Of legal dimen-
sions, 1t is declared. But sales by
weight would do away with all such
differences of custom, and is there
fore being urged on congress as al
method more fair to the public and
one that will make an enormous diff
ference in the aggregate sales Of the
country.
In this direction, too, number OF
states have taken preliminary step
and have passed laws designating the
number of pounds that must be con
tained In each bushel of dry produce.
In the past eight years since the
Initiation OF the national conferences
in Washington. the efforts Of the
weight and measure officials Of the
country have been directed on bring"
ing state legislation out of a condi-
ton of yagueness and ineffectiveness
OF two federal laws now in opera
ton. it was decided In the last con-
ference that one should be greatly
amplified and the other restricted.
The first requires standard size in
apple barrels and official Endorsement
now has been given to the Tuttie bill.
designating that all barrels shall be
standard. with the exception of the
cranberry barrel.
The second law states that all seal
ed packages must have their net
weight. measure or count printed up
on them.
To make due allowances there has
been appointed committee made UP