Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 298, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 December 1913 — DO CONSUMERS GET WHAT THEY BUY? [ARTICLE]

DO CONSUMERS GET WHAT THEY BUY?

By James Troop,

Department of En-

tomology, Purdue University, Purdue University Agricultural Extension.

We are hearing a great deal these days about the high prices which prevail all along the line of food products; a steak which, a few years ago, cost 12% cents per pound, now costs 30 or 35 cents, or even more than that where there is no competition. In fact, the “high cost of living” is felt all along the line and by all classes of citizens. It is not the high cost of things which we wish to call attention to in this article so much as, are we getting full weight or measure of what we buy? Naturally, when food products are low, we do not pay particular attention as to whether we are getting full weight or measure or not. But in times like the present, when a dollar goes a very short way in purchasing food supplies, it behooves every one to see to it that he receives full measure. Many of us have become accustomed to take too much for granted, to accept without question, whatever is given us. This applies more especially to that class of people who buy only in small quantities from day to day; and that does not mean the poorer classes by any means, because, in most of our cities and larger towns, this method is largely the custom with all classes. How many know that they are getting full weight •or measure ? In how many kitchens in this state may be found a reliable set of scales where packages may be weighed as they come from the dealer? Possibly one in fifty. The amount of money that could be saved in this way in a year in each household would more than buy a good set of scales, besides the satisfaction of knowing that one was or was not being cheated. The general use of the Babcock milk-tester has saved many thousands of jlollars to the American farmer, simply by showing him which .of his cows were paying for their feed and which were nbt. This enabled him to stop a large leak in his income. A good set of scales in every kitchen would stop many a leak in the grocery bill. It would not affect the honest merchant, but it would affect the careless dealer and cause him to be more careful.

The legislature of Indiana has recognized the fact that we have both of these classes to deal with. In 1911 the legislature passed a weights and measures law which was intended to remedy this evil of short weights and measures, but every one who has given the subject any thought, knows that we continued to get short boxes of berries, and even those entrusted with the enforcement of the lgw, did not seem to be able to stop it. 'the law did not say that a Igprry box should hold a dry measure quart or pint, add so all that was necessary was for the dealer to sell his berries by the box, and the consumers had no redress, even If they gave the matter any serious attention. , The legislature of 1913 went a step further and amended certain sections

of the previous law, making it obligatory that “all commodities shall be sold by standard weight or measure,”’ except those which are usually 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 a legal quart of strawberries or raspberries must contain 67.2 cubic Inches, and a pint, one-half that amount; a peck of potatoes must weigh 15 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 it is a common thing, with some dealers at least, for a peck of potatoes to weigh only 12 •r 13 pounds. This means that the purchaser is not getting what is coming to him when he buys these berries, and he is losing from 8 to 12 pounds on each bushel of potatoes that he buys. Not very much, and yet, when there is a 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 a recent trade paper the statement is made that growers in another 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, because the retailer very seldom changes his berries from a “short” box to a dry measure box before selling them. Very likely, the above-mentioned conditions do not prevail now In all cities and towns of this state; It ought not to be so In any of them, but It is. It is a condition that we are facing, not a theory. x

A Defect in the Law. Section <•! of weights and measures law, approved March 10, 1913, amends section 3 of the law of 1911, so that “The board of county commissioners of every county of 50,000 population or more shall, and the board

of county commissioners in counties of less than 50,000 population may appoint a county' inspector of weights and measures who shall serve during the pleasure of the said board,* . . “Provided, however, that It shall not be obligatory upon the board of county commissioners of such counties containing a city or cities of the first, second,, third or fourth class which are already provided with an inspector of weights and measures or city sealers to make such appointment.” In other wqrds, a county which has less than 50,000 population, but which has a city of either class mentioned above, and which is provided with an inspector or sealer of weights and measures, need not have a county inspector; neither are the county commissioners required to appoint an inspector in any case in •such a county. A city inspector’s jurisdiction does not extend beyond the city limits, coneeqpently the balance of the county, no matter how many towns and villages it mgy contain, is left without difficulty; without any one to enforce it, a law is of no account. Either each county should have an inspector, or else each city inspector should have jurisdiction over the whole country.