510 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



emergency and periodical inspection of their scales have been exceedingly 

 heavy. Mine owners and miners have also made frequent demands for 

 this work. Dealers, consumers and workmen have all learned to have 

 confidence in the accuracy of the scales approved by this department, 

 and insist on frequent inspection to insure fair dealing. The department 

 is also called upon to make a large number of special trips for inspections 

 for which private companies are willing to defray the expense. 



As competition has grown keener and prices have risen higher, the 

 number of requests for scale inspections has doubled and trebled. The 

 department, with the number of inspectors at its disposal, has been 

 unable to answer requests as promptly as should be done. There is also 

 a great deal of correspondence resulting from daily reports of inspectors, 

 shortage reports from various sources, warning reports, requests for 

 scale Inspection, prosecutions, complaints and reports of similar nature, 

 which demand a large amount of attention from the Chief Inspector of 

 Weights and Measures. 



The department has nothing but the highest praise for its employes 

 for their earnest, conscientious and efficient efforts. They have put in 

 many hours outside of their regular time without complaint. They 

 have been compelled to work long hours because of the fact that the 

 force has been inadequate to handle the material increase which has 

 taken place from year to year. 



During the year ending November 1, 1919, the department inspected 

 2,850 "heavy" scales, that is, scales used by grain elevators, coal mines, 

 retail coal dealers, railroad stock scales, etc. The revenue received by 

 the State for the inspection of these scales amounted to $8,549.45. The 

 average charge for the inspection of wagon scales is $3.00. The revenue 

 received by the state for scale licenses is $4,821. Of the number of scales 

 inspected, 407 have been condemned for repairs; more than 350 were 

 adjusted or their operators were instructed to rriake changes that would 

 render them accurate. 



Since the Law became operative, hundreds of scales and measures 

 of various types have been confiscated and condemned. The use of the 

 auto truck has been the cause of many new wagon scales being installed 

 as the capacity and construction of a great many scales is such that they 

 are too light for the loads which are now being hauled. The depart- 

 ment records shows that there have been 5,000 platform scales, 10,219 

 counter scales, 3,760 creamery scales inspected. These items do not in- 

 clude the number of weights submitted by cities, firms and individuals 

 for verification as to their accuracy. 



IMPORTANCE OF WORK 



The Weights and Measures departments throughout the United States, 

 during the period of the world war, put forth every effort to do their 

 bit, by checking more closely than ever before the weights and measures 

 of the thousands of commodities so sold. The prices of commodities 

 since the close of the war have soared even higher and hence it is 

 necessary to increase our activities. Few people realize the importance 



