l6 AC.RICULTURK OF MAINE. 



work in this line out in the West and the Middle West and the 

 penalties imposed in that section for giving short weight or 

 measure, are very severe. 



To go back to the earliest times, when the constitution of 

 the United States was adopted an article was put into it giving 

 Congress the power to regulate weights and measures. Con- 

 gress so far has not taken any action in the matter. It has left 

 the subject largely to the individual states, and most of the 

 states have legislation and regulations which apply only to their 

 own state. This, of course, makes a great deal of confusion. 

 While there might be a regulation in Maine, we will say, on the 

 subject of apple barrels, denoting the size and the dimensions, 

 in New York State there is another regulation. There will be 

 a measure introduced into Congress at the next session which 

 will make a uniform and standard size for all barrels and boxes 

 throughout the country, which, if enacted, will prevent this 

 confusion. A Maine apple barrel will be just the same as a 

 California apple barrel. This is a subject that we want threshed 

 out in Congress. In St. Louis on January 4th there is a meeting 

 of the Western Produce Association in which they will take 

 up this subject and write up a measure to be introduced in 

 Congress. In 1836 the United States supplied to each 

 state in the Union a set of standard weights and measures 

 which were adopted by the several states. Maine then adopted 

 the standard weights and measures that were presented to them- 

 and until now they were the only standards existing in the State. 

 Under authority given the Commissioner of Agriculture by an 

 act of the last legislature, he is taking measures to procure new 

 standards. These old standards have rusted and worn so badly 

 that they were practically useless. Mr. Buckley has started now 

 to procure new standards and it will be but a short time before 

 there will be a perfect system of weights and measures through- 

 out this State. Maine is one of the last states here in New Eng- 

 land to take up the matter. The State of Vermont took it up in 

 10 10 and they have now a force of men travelling throughout 

 the State regulating the weights and measures and the methods 

 of weighing and measuring. Connecticut has a system, and 

 Massachusetts has had a system for the last 50 years. The laws 

 of Massachusetts have been copied pretty much throughout 

 Maine, and they are as good laws as there arc in the country. 



