352 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



aires. The most unsatisfactory feature of the legislation is that requiring 

 fees to be collected from those for whom inspections are made; but 

 fortunately the state inspector and city sealers are to be paid by salary. 

 The ale gallon of 282 cubic inches adopted for the sale of beer and ale 

 should not have been established, since this measure is not recognized by 

 the federal government. 



Arkansas passed somewhat similar legislation in 1911 and later 

 enacted a law directing and requiring that the county clerks comply with 

 the provisions of a law passed in 1894, requiring that the county clerks 

 procure a complete set of standards and seal all weights and measures 

 that may be presented to them for that purpose which correspond with 

 the county standard. The law also provides that the township constable 

 and the town or city marshal shall make annual inspections of the 

 weights and measures in their respective jurisdictions, and stipulates a 

 penalty of $1 a day for failure of the user of weights and measures to 

 have his apparatus tested and sealed before the first day of September of 

 each year. The enactment of this law shows an awakening interest on 

 the part of Arkansas in a subject which has laid dormant in that state 

 for many years ; and while the system adopted will not attain the highest 

 results, it is hoped that it may be only a forerunner to the establishment 

 of a state-wide inspection of weights and measures along the most ap- 

 proved lines. 



California has been exceedingly active in its endeavor to protect the 

 people of the state, although it has never been represented at the Na- 

 tional Conferences on Weights and Measures. During the visit of our 

 inspector a proposal was made to one of the state senators that he 

 undertake to draft a bill covering the matter. It was at once seen that 

 this would be a difficult task on account of a provision of the constitu- 

 tion which forbade the appointment of a state sealer of weights and 

 measures and made it impossible to compel the cities and counties to 

 appoint such officers. A bill was finally drafted which was probably the 

 best that could be passed under the constitution. Also a constitutional 

 amendment was introduced designed to remove this disability from the 

 state. Both the bill and the constitutional amendment were successful, 

 and a number of counties and cities appointed sealers under this law. 

 The bills were passed almost unanimously, the reports issued by the 

 Bureau of Standards upon conditions as they were found to exist aid- 

 ing greatly in the passage. A special election was held in October, 1911, 

 and the weights and measures amendement and a number of other con- 

 stitutional amendments were voted upon by the people. This provision 

 was passed by an overwhelming majority. At a recent special session 

 of the legislature a new bill was introduced containing all the pro- 

 visions recommended by the conference. This bill passed the senate 

 almost unanimously and appeared certain to become a law, but opposi- 

 tion developed in the assembly taking the form of amendments de- 



