The Penn's Grove record., 1913-12-05
UNEARTH FRAUD
UPON FARMERS
State Superintendent Makes Ar
rest, Disclosing Short Weight
COST THOUSANDS YEARLY
Fertilizers Sold to South Jersey Agri-
culturists Were Not What They
Were Claimed to Be-Lighters
Have False Bottoms.

Trenton.-When Benjamin Gundy,
of Philadelphia, a captain of a ma
nure boat, was arrested in Woodbury.
by State Superintendent of Weights
and Measures William L. Waldron,
knowledge of the most gigantic fraud,
practiced at the expense of farmers
of New Jersey for years, came to
light. Through the shortweighing of
the fertilizer which they have pur-
chased it is estimated that the agri-
%culturists in the southern part of the
State have been cheated out of $780,
900 yearly.
After gathering evidence for many
weeks, Superintendent Waldron and
his assistants had enough evidence to
justify them in taking the captain of
the boat into custody. Action is next
to be taken against Joseph A. Burke,
of Thirtieth and Vine streets, Phila-
delphia, one of the largest manure
dealers in this part of the country.
He is to be held responsible for the
cargo in charge of his agents.
The crafts used in transporting the
fertilizer are called lighters having
a fiat deck and two bottoms, one
raised several feet above the other.
The charge against the owners of the
boats is hat they filled the under por-
ton of the Fighters with water in
stead of manure, thereby failing to
give actual weight in the fertilizer to
the purchasers. The farmers were re-
quired to accept as accurate the fig
ures furnished to them by the dealers.
Numerals were marked on the sides
of the lighters" and each one of
these when touching the water lire
was supposed to represent a certain
number of tons of cargo.
Shortage of 35 Tons. Il
Superintendent Waldron and his
men spent several days around the
wharves in Philadelphia and watched
the loading and watering process.
One BOAT was consigned to Thomas
Hutchinson, Of Woodbury., Gloucester
county. This was followed to its des-
tination. The bill of lading with it
called for $50 tons. The su%perintend-
ent and his men directed the boats
unloading, and as it was transferred
to wagons, had the contents weighed.
1t was found to be short So tons, at
the rate of $3.50 a ton; this was a
direct loss of $63 on one lighter to
the buyer.
When the discrepancy was proven
the captain was arrested and held
under bail for the Gloucester County
Grand Jury. With Mr.. Waldron we're
Assistant State Superintendent J.
Frank Fowler and William Abdell,
county superintendent for Gloucester.
They found that another load billed
as $50 tons carried only 103 tons, and
one represented as IT'S tons contained
only 40. From 20 to SO tons of water
instead of manure were being paid for
with each lighter" at prices ranging
from $1.75 to So a ton.
1t is claimed that the frauds have
been more bold where it has been
thought the chance for detection was
small. This has been especially true
where the Fighters" have been sent
to wharves that did not possess scales
and where it would be difficult to
weigh each wagon as loaded. In the
investigation by Mr.. Waldron it was
necessary to have the teams drive
more than a mile for the weighing.
The deception, it is asserted, has been
carried on for years., but the farmers
previously have had no means of re-
dress.
Violations of Pharmacy Law.
The annual report of the State
Board of Pharmacy was submitted to
called attention to a particularly
large number of violations of the
pharmacy law and a consequent num-
Der of prosecutions. Among the de-
PENDANTS found guilty and upon whom
the full penalty was imposed were
Louis T.. Weiss, of North Plainfield;
Luigi Scelfo, of Passaic, and Anthony
W. Mast, of Vineland. In the cases
prosecuted the board says there was
an open defiance Of the law. The re-
port continues:
'"There seemed to be a spirit of
unrest among many pharmacists,
whether from a loss of business or a
spirit of rivalry or jealousy among
competitors, which has caused a won
derful amount of work for the board
to get at the facts, such as complaints
of procuring by fraud papers to at
tend the examinations or furnishing
false afidavits from employers as to
the time of apprenticeship. All these