16 BULLETIN 9T8, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



weighmasters in the various markets. In some places where the 

 scales are owned or maintained by the railroad companies, employees 

 who have become incapacitated for other work are made weighers. 

 Bond for the honest and faithful performance of duty is required 

 of the weighmasters -in some markets, while at others an oath is 

 sufficient. Where supervisors are employed they must meet the same 

 requirements as the weighmasters, except that in some instances they 

 may be required to furnish a larger bond. 



DUTIES OF WEIGHMASTERS. 



Aside from the weighing duties, the weighmasters often have 

 other duties which vary greatly in character. At railroad team 

 tracks, where the weighing duties are not heavy, the weighmaster is 

 often the yardman and polices the yard, together with keeping a 

 record of the cars received at the yards and forwarded from them. 

 He also directs the teams to the proper cars; in fact, looks after 

 everything in connection with the freight received in the yard of 

 which he has charge. 



If the weigher is an employee of a warehouse owner he may also 

 do any of the various duties connected with the business of his 

 employer. 



TIME AND WORK REQUIRED. 



There are no fixed rules as to the hours or amount of work required 

 that are applicable to all official weighmasters. The hours of work 

 are usually those prevailing in the markets or territory in which the 

 work is done. At the railroad yards it is often necessary for the 

 weigher to be on hand at an early hour in order that he may check 

 up the cars in the yards and learn the location of the various cars 

 to be unloaded. These yards may then be closed at an early hour in 

 the afternoon, or another weigher may come on duty at the expira- 

 tion of the work period of the first weigher. The work periods now 

 are generally about eight hours, but many weighers frequently work 

 overtime and receive extra pay for the extra time. 



OFFICIAL WEIGHTS AT TERMINAL MARKETS. 



The official weighing of hay in the large markets is confined almost 

 entirely to hay shipped to those markets, and a composite descrip- 

 tion of the various methods of weighing and the supervising of the 

 weighing on wagon scales used at these markets is as follows : The 

 owner or purchaser of the hay, or his representative, drives his team 

 or truck to the scale nearest the car to be unloaded, which has been 

 designated as a scale where official weights may be obtained, and pre- 

 sents to the weighmaster an order from the seller or owner for the 

 hay. This is the weigher's authority to weigh the loads to be hauled 



