The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1913-12-19

of the previous law, making it oblga-
tory that 'all commodities shall be
sold by standard weight or measure"
except those articles which are usual 1
ly sold by numerical count, such as
eggs, or melons, squashes, etc., or
those articles sold In packages, such
as the various kinds Of breakfast
foods, etc. This means, if it means
anything, that berries must be sold
by dry measure, that is legal quart
of strawberries or raspberries must
contain 67.2 cubic inches, and pint,
one-half that amount; peck of pota-
toes must weigh 10 pounds; and yet
we have been getting in our markets
during the present summer, berry
boxes which fell short from five to
ten cubic inches, and 1t is common
thing, with some dealers at least, for
a peck of potatoes to weigh only II
or 13 pounds. This means that the
purchaser is not getting what is COM
ing to him when he buys these ber-
ries, and he is losing from s to IL
pounds on each bushel of potatoes
that he buys. Not very much, and
yet, when there is large family to
support, he is paying for five or six
bushels more than he gets during the
year. and this is only one item in the
list.
In recent trade paper the state
ment is made that growers In anoth-
or state are attributing the shortage
of the berry crop to the fact that they
were required to use standard quart
boxes; that where heretofore they
| have had 400 crates, this year they
only had 300 crates from about the
| same quantity of berries. This gives
one an idea of what the consumer
has been getting in years past be-
cause the retailer very seldom changes
his berries from short" box to a
dry measure box before selling them.
Very likely, the aforementioned
conditions do not prevail now in all
cities and towns of this state; ii
ought not to be so in any of them. but
1t is 1t Is a condition that we are
facing, not theory.
A Defect in the Law.
Section | of the weights and meas.
ures law. approved March 10, 1913
amends section of the law OF 1911
so that The board of county commits
sioners OF every county of $4,000 popu
lation or more shall, I'll the board
OF county commits sioners in counties
of less than $4,000 population may ap
4 Of iexI,t &c
and measures who shall serve during
the pleasure OF the said board
Provided. however. that ii shall no.
be obligatory upon the board OF coun
~ commissioners of such countie:
containing a city or cities of the first
second. third or fourth class which
are already provided with an inspec
: tor OF weights and measures or cit,
sealers TO make such appointment
In other words. county which ha
less than $4,000 population. but which
has a city of either class mentione,
above, and which is provided with al
inspector or sealer OF weights an,
measures, need not have a county In
J spector: neither are the county com
missioners required TO appoint an In
spector in any case in sach a county
A city inspectors jurisdiction doe
( not extend beyond the city limits. con
r seqpently the balance of the county
7 no matter how many towns and vi
5 lagos ii may contain. is left withou
! difficulty; without any one TO enforc
: IL, law is of no account. Either eac
county should have an inspector. o
p else each city inspector should hay
9 Jurisdiction over the whole country.