3 6o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



of the sealers to some extent, revised the schedule of legal weights per 

 bushel, and passed an excellent berry-box section requiring that all such 

 boxes used in the sale of specified berries shall be only of the sizes of 

 one quart, one pint or half pint, United States standard dry measure. 



New Jersey passed a very comprehensive law in 1911 establishing a 

 state department of weights and measures, consisting of a superintendent 

 and three deputy superintendents, and providing for the testing and 

 sealing of apparatus by county and municipal superintendents. This 

 law is directly based upon legislation recommended by the conference, 

 but it was quite generally amended before its passage, to meet local con- 

 ditions in the state. At the 1913 session of the legislature several 

 amendments were passed, designed to strengthen the former law by 

 making it possible to eliminate dealing which, while resulting in false 

 representations and fraud, could not be attacked directly under the 

 former provisions. Perhaps the most important of these changes is 

 that standardizing the size of baskets used in the sale of dry commodities. 

 Formerly all kinds of odd sizes were used and when these were sold in 

 competition with each other it was very difficult for the purchaser to buy 

 efficiently, since the amount to be obtained could not easily be ascer- 

 tained. It is now made unlawful to manufacture, use, or offer or expose 

 for sale any other baskets than the standard sizes mentioned in the act. 

 Enforcement of this law should result in the elimination of misrepresen- 

 tations of quantity and assure the purchaser of the quantity received. 

 Another law gives the weights and measures officials police powers in 

 connection with their work, and this will assist them very materially in 

 many cases in bringing offenders of the law to justice. The penalty sec- 

 tion has been strengthened and the procedure to be followed in the arrest 

 and trial of offenders has been defined with great particularity. The 

 magistrate shall hear and determine the guilt or innocence of persons 

 summoned, in a summary way, and upon conviction a penalty may be 

 enforced by execution against their goods and bodies without any special 

 order of the court. 



New Mexico passed a general law on the subject of weights and 

 measures, designed to establish a state-wide inspection of the weights and 

 measures in commercial use. The law is an inclusive one and evidently 

 endeavors to cover the entire subject. While it has many excellent pro- 

 visions the machinery provided for enforcement is very poor and it also 

 contains many unsatisfactory and indefensible provisions. The legisla- 

 tion is not based on the model law of the National Conference, but does 

 seem to have copied provisions from a number of other states. Some of 

 the provisions which are considered poor ones will be mentioned briefly. 

 The only state weights and measures official provided for is the secretary 

 of state, ex-officio, and his only duties appear to be the providing and 

 testing of county standards. The sheriffs of the counties are designated 

 county weighmasters, these officials being allowed to appoint deputies to 



