Evening star., 1937-06-02
j. s. URGED T0F|K
CONTAINERS SIZES
Action to Assure Canned
Food Buyers Protection
Asked at ParIey.

Federal action is needed to simplify
the task Of making sure that buyers
OF canned foods get their moneys
worth, the Twenty-seventh National
Conference on Weights and Measures
vas told today.
Inconsistencies in the present maze
Of can sizes and systems OF measure
ment were described by George War;
ner, Wisconsin's chief inspector of
weights and measures, as nothing
short of ingenuity to deceive the pur-
chaser"
Warner exhibited to the conference
delegates So cans of different sizes be-
ing used in the sale of foods. He
proposed Federal law standardizing
such cans at seven sizes, ranging from
one-fourth pint to gallon.
If the people realized that they
were not getting accurate measure
ment in the canssof food they are
buying now" Warner said they
would demand that these cans be
carefully checked. 1t is impossible
under present conditions for officials
to give the consumers or the honest
packers any protection now. Max
Ing try-outs on this vast number of
cans would be a task far beyond any
bureau of weights and measures in
the country"
Milk Can Exhibited.
Warner exhibited a can holding
1334 fluid ounces. which is used for
packing about rs per cent of Wis
consin's output of condensed milk.
This 'favorite can" was reduced in
size from Is ounces in 1898, he said,
adding that it was difficult to notice
any difference in the size unless the
cans were standing side by side. The
price OF canned milk was not reduced
proportionately, he said, so that Wis
consin producers gained about So
100000 by cutting the can size.
Cans of food usually are labeled in
terms of avoirdupois weight, because
that makes the quantity appear
greater than if it was labeled in
terms of liquid measure, Warner
added. He pointed out that the favor
1te milk can he exhibited was cor
rectly labeled net weight, l4la
ounces" although it ACTUALLY held
only l3a fluid ounces.
He indorsed a bill sponsored in
Congress by Representative Sauthotf
OF Wisconsin to fix standard sizes for
metal containers for canned fruits.
vegetables and canned milk in order
to prevent fraud and deception" He
said State laws would not be sufficient
10 remedy the situation, because
canned foods are distributed over wide
areas
State Officials Confer.
warner spoke at the morning ses-
sion Of the conference, following
general dlscussin of problems con-
fronting State officials in maintain
ing weight and measure standards,
The conference declined to indorse
q proposal by ]. H. Meek, director of
the Virginia State Division of Markets,
that Congress be asked to appropriate
100000 to aid the States in enforcing
weight and measure standards. Under
MS proposal the Secretary of Com
merce would distribute the money to
match State funds for administration
OF approved laws. Numerous delegates
objected to what they termed an in
vasion OF State rights by this super
vision.
A demonstration of equipment de-
Veloped by the National Bureau of
Standards to test large truck and
wagon scales was scheduled for this
afternoon. The more than $50 dele
gates attending the conference were
to motor to Annapolis, where the
scale-testing unit was to be demon
strated in check of the Naval Acad-
emys 4o0o0-pound motor truck
scales.
The conference opened yesterday
with an address by DR.. Lyman j.
Briggs, director of the National Bu-
reau of Standards. outlining proposed
legislation to Ak definitely standards
for determining the length of an inch
and the weight of pound.
D. E. Montgomery, consumers coun-
eel Of the Agricultural Adjustment
Administration, told of efforts to in
.terest consumers in the need for bet
ter supervision of weights and meas
ures. James O'Keefe, inspector of
weights and measures of Chicago, de-
scribed recent efforts in Chicago to
assure honest weight in sales of coal
and similar articles in truck or wagon