Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-27
SCALE REFORMS
URGED BY HEAD
Of BUREAU HERE
J. H. Sullivan Offers SUCCESS
tons at National Confer
ence in Washington.
Especial to the Evening star.I

WASHINGTON, May 27.-Among
the papers read at the ninth annual
conference here yesterday afternoon
on the weights and measures Ct the
United States was one by John II.
Sullivan, Of Newark, \. J. Mr. Sui
livan is superintendent Of weights
and measures at Newark. He Is at
tending the conference with MS as
sistant, Patrick J. Caufeld. The
conference will end Friday.
Ia his report Mr.. Sullivan ted
ABOUT some Of the methods New Jer-
sey has adopted to prevent fraud
and cheating. His report was as
follows:
As the representative of the city
Of Newark, y. J., I desire first 10
express my appreciation Of the honor
conferred upon me by the city Of
Newark, which 1 represent In part.
and my thanks for membership N
this great body Of men interested in
the problem Of weights and ness-
ures.
In submitting a report for New
ark your attention is respectfully
directed TO one Of the laws reguIa1-
ing weights and measures now in
force in the State of New Jersey.
commonly known as the basket
law the provisions Of which prae-
ticaIly eliminates all odd size bas-
kers and measures from use in cur
State.
Many useful city ordinances are
now IN force in the city OF New
ark. In the many cases we have
prosecuted within the last year or
more not one point has been raised
by any defendant that has not been
satisfactorily covered by the ordin-
ances. One section of our ordt =
ance provides that it shall be un-
lawful for anyone to sell or give
away any instrument that is to be
used for weighing OF selling pur
poses unless the same shall have
been tested and sealed by the De-
partment of Weights and Measures
For a violation of this section I
prosecuted the representative in our
city Of one Of the largest scale COM
panies in the United States. and after
q fair and impartial trial by jury
the defendant was found guilty. Five
other like charges are now pending
1 believe that every instrument
should be tested and sealed before
it is allowed to be purchased or sold
and that every scale so mechanically
constructed that the moving Of i
from place to place will cause 4
change in its correctness should be
tested by the proper authority each
and every time 1t is moved. ! have
known scales that have been tested
and sealed in my Office as correct
to be found incorrect when placed
on the counter of a merchant wfth-
in a few blocks of the Office, ann
through some change to go fast or
slow from one to three ounces
The type of scale that I have N
mind should be tested or inspected
as often as possible for the beneflf
of the merchant and the purchaser
These scale; are not of one partic-
ular make, but TO the best Of my
knowledge are made and sold by sir
or eight different companies.
Another section of our city or
! dinance provides that no person shall
use. for weighing or measuring, any
commodity to be purchased or sold
/ or use for weighing or measuring
any work of employees in factories
any instrument that has not been
tested and sealed by the Department
of Weights and Measures; also, that
all commodities, goods or merchant
disc must be sold either by weight
or measure. These two sections are
very important, as they require the
use of either an accurate scale or
measure in the sale or purchase e4
all goods; and are also a pretty go1d
guarantee of protection both for the
employer and employee where scales
or other instruments are used sof
the purpose of weighing or measur-
ing work
Il would like to describe the mo1s
Of procedure followed by this Office
where violations Of the laws govern
ing weights and measures are fouud
or brought to the attention of this
department:
1.-The person accused is first sum-
moned to the office and Is asked to
show cause why he or she shoslid
not be prosecuted If l ind that
the person accused committed the
violation through ignorance. ~
through innocence-this being shown
to my satisfaction-the offender is al
lowed to go after a warning has been
given. and the person is provided
with a copy of the laws on weights
and measures, with the distinct On-
derstanding that a recurrence of any
further violation of same will mean
heavy fine. I have found this man
ner of handling cases to be very
good and very effective.