Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10
In the Motor World
BY a. ADAMS HOWARD.

| lily 6edleT VOIaW, his dSSlSb-
ant, Paul Kocher, and County
Sealer Fischer, assigned to the in
veStigation by County Auditor
John A. Zangerle at the request OF
the Automobile Club, had direct
charge of the drive.
1.-THE salient discoveries result
ing from the investigation are
these:
"Eighty-seven gasoline stations
were tested. Thirty-nine per cent
were found to be violating the law
Fourteen arrests were made.
These cases were the most serious.
some shortages running over two
quarts in five gallons.
Twenty other station attend
ants were summoned before VotaW
and Fischer for warning. These
shortages were law violations, but
were smaller.
"Votaw issued II warrants and
summoned IA for warnings.
Fischer issued three warrants and
summoned six for warnings.
Votaw made II test purchases in
the city and Fischer is test pur-
chaSes in the county outside the
Cleveland limit.
Shortages Large.
"A number of stations belonging
to one particular company, whel!
subjected to the test purchases,
went on the records as being $40
per cent short measure; of the
total number, 27.6 per cent of the
operators of this company who
sold gasoline on the tests were ar
rested; 81 per cent were sum-
moned for warnings.
mot wishing to be merely tech
nical, nor to hale attendants into
court for trivialitieS, 1t was de-
cided that no summons for warn
ingS would be issued unless the
legal tolerance chat is, three
ounces leeway in five gallons) had
been exceeded three times; and
that no arrests would be made un-
less the legal tolerance had been
exceeded six times.
Several of the worst violatorS-
who were served with warrants.
could have made $40 day If they
had been able to pocket for them
selves the retail price of the gaso-
line which motorists did not get.
provided, of course, that the
shortage shown by the test pur-
chase had held throughout the
day.
1.-THE purpose of the investiga-
ton was not so much to catch the
careless as it was to discover the
intentional cheat.
Take, for example, the station
that sells an average of Ave GAL
Ions to each of 100 cars a day
Many stations sell much more
than this. If one pint is gained
on each sale the attendant can
make $3.50 a day extra. Attend
ants wages are low enough to
make this additional income de-
sirable.
5000 Pumps in County.
There are about 5000 pumps in
the county. The average number
of pumps to a station - many OF
which are one-pump curb stations
is two. The 100 per day and
$3.50 per day are thus seen to be
conservative, since it is indicated
by the 81 tests that $4,000 is the
total daily loot, as compared with
So, $50 at the rate of $3.50 each fo-
a maximum of 500 stations.
This racket is not organized,
but seems to exist as a condition
that has grown up out of custom,
in spite of efforts to keep 1t down
1T is not fair to assume that
every station attendant caught
with the goods was deliberately
cheating. Some may have been
merely careless. Nevertheless, the
law governing the giving of full
measure was enacted and is to be
enforced for the benefit of the
buyer. For it is the buyer out of
whose pocket comes the $4,000 a
day.
"Most reputable oil companies
supply their stations with stand
ard and test measures, send pump
inspectors around regularly and
otherwise try to comply with the
law, which requires that meaSur-
ing apparatus for the selling OF
gasoline be tested daily. In ad-
dition, the city and county SealerS'
offices are continually examining
equipment.
Pumps FOOlprOOf.
1.-THE majority of equipment
now in use, mechanically, is about
foolproof; but it can be tempered
with, or manipulated, when the
buyer Of gasoline is not too OBJ
servant.
1T is frequently observed that
pumps are set at the maximum
legal 'tolerance'-that is, so that
they will measure three or four
ounces less than five gallons. This
is allowance by law. However,
when natural Shrinkage occurs
amounting to three or four ounces
-aS happens when warm gasoline
is poured into a cool underground
tank, or from leakage and evapo-
ration-the law is Immediately
violated.
"A shrinkage of three ounces in
five gallons-on all the gasoline
sold in Cuyahoga County in a year
means that motorists surrender
the price of nearly 10000 GAL
Ions Of gasoline annually; 5000 900,
approximately"