WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 349 



butter was found slightly to exceed % oz. per pound, or 3.25 per cent 

 According to the Bureau of Labor (now the Bureau of Labor Statistics), 

 the normal male adult in all parts of the United States consumes about 

 30 pounds of butter per year. Tables issued by the same bureau show 

 the percentage of this amount consumed by female adults, children of 

 various ages, etc. By combining these data with the information issued 

 by the Census Bureau as to the number of male and female adults, 

 children, etc., we reach the conclusion that the amount consumed by the 

 total population would be equal to the amount consumed by a number 

 of adults represented by 80 per cent, of the population. The population 

 of the country according to the census of 1910 is approximately 92,- 

 000,000, 80 per cent, of which is 73,600,000. Multiply this figure by 

 30, the number of pounds of butter consumed by one adult, and we find 

 that the total consumption in the United States amounts to about 2,200,- 

 000,000 pounds per year. Much of this butter is sold in bulk, but there 

 is no section of the country where print butter is not extensively sold. 

 In the western states it is retailed in no other way. In the eastern 

 states from 25 per cent, to 50 per cent, of it is handled in this form. 

 It is a very conservative estimate to assume that 35 per cent, of the 

 butter consumed is put up and delivered in this form. It may be said, 

 then, that some 770,000,000 pounds of butter are sold yearly in print 

 form, and since the average shortage, as mentioned above, is about 3.25 

 per cent., the yearly loss on butter in this form is, therefore, 25,000,000 

 pounds. Assuming that the average price of butter throughout the 

 country is 33 cents per pound, the annual loss to the consumer is more 

 than $8,250,000. 



That some of the shortages found in butter are not accidental, but 

 are the result of deliberate fraud, is proved by a comparison of the 

 weight of the same brands of butter in Denver and Cripple Creek, Colo- 

 rado. The city of Denver has an ordinance requiring that all prints of 

 butter sold in the city must be labeled with the correct net weight of the 

 contents, and this ordinance is being enforced by a sealer of weights 

 and measures. The city of Cripple Creek has no ordinance and no 

 inspector of weights and measures. Five brands of butter were found 

 on sale in both cities, and all of them were labeled with the weight of 

 the contents, " One Pound," in Denver, while two out of the five brands 

 omitted the statement of weight in Cripple Creek, although the butter 

 was still sold as pounds. The average weight of all the prints of the 

 five brands in Denver was 15.72 oz., a shortage of 1.75 per cent., while 

 the average weight of all the prints of these same five brands in Cripple 

 Creek was only 15.02 ozs., a shortage of 6.12 per cent. 



The same kind of losses could be shown to result from the use of 

 false capacity measures, although it is not so easy to prove the figures, 

 on accbunt of the comparative roughness with which such measures 

 are used. Such losses as these are likely to result from the use of rela- 



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