364 TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission, the Commission being re- 

 quired to test and inspect such scales from time to time, the cost of 

 which is chargeable to the owner of the scale. 



Pennsylvania passed a law in 1911 establishing a state bureau of 

 standards, under control of an officer to be known as " Chief of the 

 Bureau of Standards," with very limited powers. The counties and 

 cities were authorized, but not required, to appoint inspectors of weights 

 and measures and the powers and duties of these officers were specified. 

 This law did not require any compulsory inspection service, either state 

 or local, and was inadequate on this account. At the 1913 session the 

 above-mentioned law was amended in several particulars which has 

 greatly strengthened it, and it now becomes possible to secure far greater 

 results than formerly. The permissive character of the act relating to 

 appointment of weights and measures officials is now made mandatory, 

 and requires that mayors of cities of the second and third classes and 

 the board of county commissioners of the several counties shall appoint 

 one or more competent persons as inspectors of weights and measures. 

 In cities of the first class, the inspectors are to be appointed by the board 

 of county commissioners of the county in which such city is located 

 rather than by the mayor of the city. It is provided in the law as 

 amended that the county and city inspectors shall hold office during good 

 behavior, and shall not be removed, discharged, or reduced in pay or 

 position, except for inefficiency, incapacity, conduct unbecoming em- 

 ployees, or other just cause, and until said officials shall have been fur- 

 nished with a written statement of the charges against them, and shall 

 have been given reasonable time to make written answer thereto. This 

 provision practically means civil service, and puts the inspectors beyond 

 removal for political reasons, and permits them to become proficient in 

 their work and to remain in office, thus rendering to the community 

 better and more efficient service than would be had with constant change 

 of inspectors at intervals of one or two years. Another act was passed 

 relating to the sale of commodities, which specifies the manner of sale 

 of certain kinds of products, and attempts to prevent misrepresentations 

 and the use of fraudulent apparatus. This act also fixes the number of 

 pounds per bushel for a large number of commodities in section 6, and 

 in the following section, requires the net weight, measure, or numerical 

 count to be marked on packages ; but it is not mentioned in this section 

 what commodities or classes of products in package form are required to 

 be so marked. It might be inferred from the context that reference was 

 made to the commodities mentioned in the preceding section, but such a 

 construction does not appear to be a reasonable one. 



South Carolina passed legislation fixing a standard weight per bushel 

 for a very large number of dry commodities and also providing for stand- 

 ard barrels for various purposes. It is made unlawful to sell any of the 

 products mentioned "except in strict accordance with the standard 



