Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 70, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1917 — Weigh or Count is Order to Dealers. [ARTICLE]

Weigh or Count is Order to Dealers.

Frank W. Tucker, of Noblesville, inspector of weights and measures, department - of the state board of health, is making a tour of the state visiting stores operating under the pure food and drug Jaw to see whether or not the laws are being adhered to by those coming under the jurisdiction r of these laws. Mr. Tucker’s principal mission is to more fully acquaint the merchants with the provisions of the new law that will take effect April 18 and which requires that products that have heretofore been sold by measure* must now be weighed. In some cases, particularly bananas and eggs, they dan be sold either by weight or numerical count, but in the case of vegetables that have -been sold by weight in the past, even including apples, the measure is tabooed and the products must be weighed. The law fixes the weight of a bushel of apples at 48 pounds, which is the first time a weight has ever been fixed in this state for an Indiana apple. z Mr. Tucker states that a dealer no longer has any use for dry measures and that bottomless measures are outlawed. A dealer is not allowed to ever have a bottomless measure in hie possession. In many cities, he said, dealers have (been giving their bottomless measures to school Childrein with which to construct bird houses. ' •One section of the law demands that berry boxes must be filled level for a quart or pint, and the boxes must contain as many cubic inches as a dry measure pint or quart. Onion sets, cranberries and other things sold by the quart must not be sold by liquid measure but bv dry measure. Mr. Tucker states that in his trips over the state he finds that at least 97 per cent of the dealers in foodstuffs want to be honest, but sometimes that dishonesty, if the other three per cent and the driving power of competition, causes dealers to sometimes overstep the line, though W is repugnant to their consciences. He recommends that every housewife provide herself with a pair of'scales and test out her purchases. No honets dealer, he says, will object to having his weights And if things do not weigh out, immediate demand for a correction should be made. „ ... . ~ t .,' '■ /