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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 26, 1912)
V t ' V -4l'l-. fr 00 i m I, fit1 ; h. r i? tf. ill. I - f' ft w 16 The Commoner. VOLUME 12, NUMBER If WEIGHT AND MEASURE LAWS Tho United States department o commorco and labor has Just pub lished a book of 5G4 pages, entitled "Stato and National Laws Concern ing tho Weights and Measures of tho Unltod States." This volume has boon complied In the bureau of standards by William Parry, under tho direction of L. A. Fischer, chief of tho division of weights and moasuros. It is extremely valuablo to all who are interested in honest weights and moasuros, showing, as it does, at onco how much and how Httlo has boon d,bno 'by tho federal and stato legislatures to protect buyers. Congress has done very Httlo in tho way of onactlnc laws concerning' the subject, its measures being principally designed to facili tate tho collection of customs and to establish standard weights for coin ago. Aside from this, federal legis lation on tho subject has been de voted to tho regulation 6f conditions in tho District of Columbia, over which, of course, conuress lias nv. elusive jurisdiction. It is not alto gether a fair comparison, but the ex tent of tho legislation is roughly shown by tho relative spaco required in the present publication to set forth tho laws in the various states. First, It may bo said that the federal statutes, including thoso relating to coinago, require only sixteen pages, and that tho local weights and meas ures laws relating to the District of Columbia also occupy sixteen pages. , Alaska's quota is only eight lines, and Arizona's ono page. On tho other hand, Massachusetts' laws occupy twenty-six and a fraction pages; Now York's, sixteen pages, and Pennsylvania's, thirty pages. HOW" CiraOCUT-Cnu -Btrnorca ultivaHnn Is at present tho compiler of tho volume showB in his introduction. Ho says: "Section VIII of Article I of the Constitution of tho United States authorizes congress to 'fix tho stand ard of weights and measures,' but notwithstanding that the impor tant of tho subject was repeatedly urged by Washington, Adams and Jefferson in their messages to con gress no general legislation has ever been enacted in regard to the weights and measures now in com mon use. At the time of the Ameri can revolution the weights and meas ures in common use wore of English origin. Most of them had been pro cured from time to time by tho colonies from Great Britain, and al though it was well known that there wore variations In those of the same denomination, it was not until isi9n that the matter received attention from corigress. At this time an in vestigation of the weights and meas ures in use In tho various custom houses was ordered by a resolution of the senate. As a result of this investigation tho avoirdupois pound, tho English yard, the wine gallon of 31 cubic inches, and bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches, wero adopted . by the treasury department, and the construction of copies of the stand ards thus established was immedi ately undertaken in order to .supply the custom houses with uniform weights and measures. "In 1836 a joint resolution of congress directed tho secretary of tho treasury to deliver to the governor . of each stato in the Union, a complete sot of all tho woights and measuros adopted as standards by that de partment, to tho end that a uniform standard of woights and measures . might be established throughout tho United States. Nearly all of tho states have been supplied with com plete sets of standards in accordance with the resolution mentioned, and In many cases they have been adopted by legislative action as tho standards of tho state. Tho funda mental standards tho pound, yard gallon, and bushel are, thereforo' with certain exceptions, uniform throughout tho union. Tho prac tice, however, in regard to the use of tho two units last mentioned and their subdivisions differs materially. In some states the gallon of certain commodities fs defined as a definite number of pounds. Twelve pounds of strained honey is a legal gallon In Nebraska; Gj pounds of kerosone in Kansas; 7 pounds of linseed In Ohio, and 11 pounds of sorghum mo lassos In Indiana. These legal woights do not accord with tho true volume of ono gallon of 231 cubic inches. "In many of tho states the legal bushel of certain commodities -is specified In pounds. Special bushels have also been legally established in many states for particular products, such as tho charcoal .bushel, which In Connecticut is 2748 cubic inches, In Colorado 2500 cubic inches, and in Pennsylvania 2571 cubic inches. In Vermont 'ono bushel and three quarters of a peck are deemed a bushel of charcoal, lme, or adhes In some places five necks constitute a bushel of 'screened lump coal.' A lime bushel in Mmneso.ta is 2688 cubic inches. In Pennsylvania, how ever, it is equal to the Winchester bushel, although tho coke bushel In Missouri is 2,680 cubic inches. Somo states require, furthermore, 'heaped measure,' others 'struck measure,' tho heap sometimes being required to be 'as high as may be without special effort or design,' and 'In still other cases, as in Connecticut, the heaped bushel is definitely fixed as 2564 cubic inches. Tho ton of coal is in Bomo states fixed at 2,000 pounds and in others at 2,240 pounds. "This diversity causes confusion in TOO UUnimcroo botwoon th different states. That thore is need for authoritative definition by weight is made evident by the fact that con gross has found it necessary to speci fy the number of pounds of certain commodities in a bushel. These values were adopted by congress solely for use In the customs ser vice, and do not supersede the state laws, from which they often dif fer. "In view of the confusion result ing from the, diverse and conflicting laws In regard to our customary weights and measures, as shown by 'this compilation, it would seem that somo action tending to their improvement be taken, either by congress or by the joint action of tho states, and it is believed that the publication of the lawn in fhi fr will do much to emphasize the exist ing discrepancies and the necessity for uniformity in standards and practices.'' In tho limited space available hero it is not possible to give even a sum mary or tno laws of tho several states relating to weights and meas ures, so various are they, but a brief reference to some of. tho provisions is not altogether wlthmif infor,t Massachusetts, which haB one of the most comprehensive series of laws governing the subject, broadly covers the sale of all merchandise in tho following sections, ris amended only last year: "Whoever, himself or by his ser vant or agent, or as the servant or agent of another person, gives or at tempts to give false or insufficient weight or measure shall for a first offense be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars, for a second offense by a fine of not more than twd hundred dollars, and for a sub sequent offense by a fine of fifty dol lars and by Imprisonment for not less than thirty nor more than ninety days." New York state, in Its statutes, provides that: "A person who, with intent to de fraud: . "1. Puts upon an article of mer- chandiso, or upon a cask, bottle, stopper, vessel, case, cover, wrapper, package, band, ticket, label, or other thing, containing or covering such an article, or with which .such an article is intended to be sold or is sold, any falgo description or other indication of or respecting the kind, number, quantity, weight, or measure of such article, or any part thereof, 'or tho place or country where it was manu factured or produced or the quality or grade of any such article, if tho quality or grade thereof is required by law to be marked, branded or otherwise indicated on or with such article; or, "2. Sells or offers for sale an article which to his knowledge Is falsely described or indicated upon any such package, or vessel contain ing tho same, or labelled thereupon, in any of the particulars specified; or "3. Sells or exposes for sale any goods in bulk to which no name or trade mark shall 'be attached, and orally or otherwise represents that such goods are the manufacture or production of some other than tho actual manufacturer or producer in a case where the punishment for such offense is not specially provided for otherwise by statute, "Is guilty of a misdemeanor." Vermont's law contains the follow ing section: "Whoever sells or offers for sale a less quantity than repre sented or sells in .. manner contrary to law shall be guilty of fraud, and shall bo fined not more than one hundred dollars, or in 'case of a second offense not more than two hundred dollars." It confers full power upon the state commissioner of weights and measures in the fol lowing clause: "Tho stato commis sioner may make suitable rules and regulations to govern the selling of commodities." Ono of the most Important com mercial states, Illinois, has very meagre laws on the subject of weights and measures, and they re late principally to food products, farm products, and mine products. One clause in the law authorizes the city council in cities, and the presi dent and board of trustees in villages and incorporated towns to Tequire that a list of products enumerated in the act, including grain, flowers, fruit, vegetable products, meats, fish, dairy products, dry groceries, etc., be sold by standard weight or numeri cal count. Nowhere in the Illinois laws is there any provision specifi cally covering the sale of general merchandise, except the ordinary general provisions establishing the usual standard of weights and measures. Pennsylvania has enacted the fol lowing law: "Whoever, himself, or by his servant or nsrAnf .i, servant or agent of another person is guilty of giving false or insuffi cient Weieht or mpaniiro oVioii his first offense, be punished by a urn ui not more tnan fty dollars for a second offense by a fine of two hundred dollars, and for a subse quent offense by a fine of one hun dred dollars and imprisonment for not less than thirty nor more than ninety days, at the discretion of the court." This provision is similar to the one quoted from the Massachu setts laws, but provides a heavier fine for the third and subsequent offenses than the Massachusetts' law Ohio has what seems to bo a very comprehensive law, as it contains the following clause which appears to apply to all classes of merchandise Whoever puts up or packs goods or articles sold by weight, into a case or package, and fails to mark thereon tho gross, tare, and net weights thereof in pounds and frac tions thereof, or with intent to de fraud, transfers a brand, mark or stamp placed upon a case or pack age by a manufacturer to' another case, or package or, with' like intent repacks a caa,e or package so marked branded or stamped with goods a? articles of a quality inferior to thoso of such manufacturer, shall bo fined not more than five hundred dollars or Imprisoned not more than rIt months, or. both." Btt There is no'question that tho sub ject of weights and measures is re ceiving more attention from con sumers and law-makers now than ever before. Buyers of all classes of merchandise now realize that much deception has been practiced in the past through the , manipula tion ot weights, tares and so-called trade customs, which has resulted in the growth of what may fairly be termed illegitimate competition and the substitution of inferior goods for goods of standard quality and real integrity. During the past twenty months the Cordage Trade Journal has printed much to indicate some of the abuses that have been prac ticed, not only to the detriment of the ultimate consumers, but also to the loss of honest manufacturers, jobbers and retailers. It is highly desirable that fair laws governing weights and measures should be en acted and strictly enforced, so that all manufacturers and merchants, to say nothing of consumers, shall have a fair basis upon which to operate. The Cordage Trade Journal is in luvor or tne simplest and fewest laws, with the least complicated legal machinery possible which will pro duce this result. It suggests to ita readers that they carefully consider the subject, to the end that any necessary reforms may be made. Cordage Trade Journal. UNAPPRECIATED REWARDS Mother "The teacher complains you have not had a correct lesson for a month; why is it?" Son "She always kisses me when I get them right." New Orleans Times Democrat. Special Club Offers Tho Public ioo Total Regular Prlco $3.00 Our Price for all Three.... .....fLM Sw?1!?"0'8 Weekly Mag. ..,.$1.00 Fruit Grower i jo Tho Commoner ioo Total Regular Price $3.00 Our Price for all Three $un National Monthly Magazine $1.00 Meekly New York World 1.00 Tho Commoner j.qO Total Regular Price..... '$3.00 Our Price for all Three fl.TK The Public 11 66 Reviews of Reviews '.','.'. 3.'oo Tho Commoner ) iqq Total Regular Price $5.00 Our Price for all Three ., . . .f3.0 TT,ri;W,eelUy Now York World, La Mnnthft8 TWo,okl Magazine, National Monthly, Uncle Remus's Home Maga zine, Fruit Grower, Modern Priscilla, ?tShillft!vn omcrat may be substE Place S The aPbu0ccnation in th. The Commoner ....-....!!.'!! 00 Total Regular Price $5.00 Our Price tor nil Three $3.0 tiifJ.P'qM-ttfei:? Weekly Magazine, Na n2ml,TTnthlyVirPrHIt Growor, Unci. Remus s Home Magaizno, Modern Pris- ?n"thrnFle Pucnmy'be substituted nv.iw a,b,0VST combination in place of Tri-Weekly N.ew York World. Independent nn Tho Commoner ...... ..,..'.'.'.' 1.00 Total Regular Price $5.00 Our Price for nil Three $3.08 T??ir,rW.oelUy ,Now York World, La Sontiiv8 TWo,ckl Magazine National 7lnP K.,iVn?.10 Remus's Home Maga S "h?r!ti Grower, Modern Priscilla, ?htev,PubIIo,.P,ay be substituted in Address Orders to TIIE, COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb. jjir?- vakc - J-iaL..- (i. . V- ft. d. "" Vr -..ft My. ... .j', ((