REGULATING COMMISSION MERCHANTS 309 



locality where grown, and the name of the packer or the person by whose 

 authority the apples were packed and the barrel marked. 



Sec. 6. That any person, firm or corporation, or association who shall 

 knowingly pack or cause to be packed apples in barrels or wlio shall know- 

 ingly sell or offer for sale such barrels in violation of the provisions of 

 this Act shall be liable to a penalty of one dollar and costs for each such 

 barrel so sold or offered for sale, to be recovered at the suit of the United 

 States in any court of the United States having jurisdiction. 



Skc. 7. Tliat this Act sliall be in force and effect from and after the 

 first day of July, nineteen hundred and thirteen. 



REGULATING COMMISSION MERCHANTS 



Another type of law which has recently been advocated is 

 that which attempts to regulate the business of commission men. 

 Probably no one will deny that there have been many abuses by 

 unscrupulous men of the commission method of selling fruit and 

 it is hoped by the advocates of these laws that some at least of 

 these abuses may be corrected. A bill passed by the New York 

 legislature will give an idea of what is attempted in this direction. 

 The following are its chief provisions : 



1. Every person doing a commission business in farm products 

 is required to take out a license with the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture. 



2. The Commissioner may refuse to grant a license to a prod- 

 uce man whom he is convinced is not honest in his business 

 dealings. 



3. Each commission man is required to give a fidelity bond 

 of $3000 as a guarantee of honest dealing, and farmers may collect 

 from this bond for money not honestly accounted for by the com- 

 mission merchant. 



4. The commissioner is also authorized to give hearings and 

 to examine the records bearing on the case under dispute. 



Laws of this kind have long been needed and cannot fail to do 

 good. Doubtless there will have to be many changes as the details 

 are worked out, but it is certainly a move in the right direction. 



Many people object to all these laws on packing and selling 

 because they say, "You cannot make a man honest by legislation." 

 Perhaps you cannot, but if you can "legislate" him so that he 



