TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI 489 



weight of the package. The Attorney General holds that expressions or 

 statements like the following — "18 ounces or over" and "not less than 12 

 ounces" are meaningless and not in conformity with the law. 



There appears to be some misunderstanding as to the requirements be- 

 tween now and July 1. The ruling was gotten out about May 1, and two 

 months given in which to use up old wrappers. In ordering new wrap- 

 pers, why not standardize the loaf to 12 ounces, 24 ounces, 32 ounces, then 

 make the price to cover the different sizes, rather than to change the loaf 

 to fit the price. There is little evidence of stability in the flour market 

 and trouble will not be eliminated until the loaf is standardized. 



W. B. BARNEY, 



Commissioner. 



The results have been an improvement in these conditions. 



THE VIGILANCE OF THE PURCHASER IS NECESSARY TO SECURE 

 HONEST WEIGHT AND MEASURE. 



Honest weight and measure can only be secured through the vigilance 

 of the purchaser. The high cost of the necessaries of life is very often 

 due to the avarice of man and is not caused by any scarcity of commodi- 

 ties. Those necessary foods must be protected so as to cheapen them to 

 the consumer, yet this method of protection should not be burdensome to 

 the dealer nor to the consumer. The abnormal conditions developed as 

 a result of the war have inspired profiteers to seek enormous profits for 

 the goods they sell. 



High prices have resulted in a noticeable tendency toward short weigh- 

 ing on the part of a number of dishonest merchants. The fact that selling 

 15 ounces to the pound has proved a profitable source of income at 

 present prices, was too big a temptation for some merchants to with- 

 stand. This department has attempted to impress upon the house-wife 

 and the public, in general, the necessity of buying by weight. The neces- 

 sity of being especially careful in purchasing from street venders has 

 been impressed upon the consuming public, but despite all of our efforts, 

 frequent cases of short weights continue to appear. To carry on this 

 v<^ork effectively, more men should be added to our force. A common 

 source of dishonest practice on the part of some merchants, generally 

 considered reputable, was found to be the advertising of a certain com- 

 modity at an unusually low price and then making up the difference by 

 short weighing on this particular commodity. In every instance where 

 short weighing was found to be in vogue, the department inspectors were 

 instructed to prosecute relentlessly, heavy fines usually resulting. 



One important phase of this work which is necessarily neglected because 

 of an insufficiently large force of inspectors, is the work of cream scale 

 inspection. With butter fat selling at its present high figures, it is easy 

 to see that a faulty scale can mean considerable financial loss to either 

 the buyer or the seller. This work, as stated, has been greatly neglected 

 inasmuch as we have been forced to depend upon our Dairy and Food 

 inspectors to make these inspections in addition to their routine work — 

 something which they really have not time to do. 



