COST OF LIVING AND THIEVING BY SHORT MEASURES.

Evening Star, Issue 15074, 4 January 1913, Page 6

COST OF LIVING AND THIEVING BY SHORT MEASURES.

A consular report., compiled bv Mr I.cav the British Consul-General for tho district on tho trade of Boston (U.S.), contains some interesting particular? about life in that city. The cost of Jiving. Mr Leav says remains one of the greatest social problems that the average' man in this country has to face, but during the past year action by the various States and red.-ral authorities has tended more to ensuring that, the ultimate consumer rereives full weight and fjualitv for his money rather than to striving to'iix prices. In other words, efforts are being made to stop thieving by short measures."to abolish the sale of fruits, vegetables, etc., by drv measure instead of "bv weight, and to examine into the cold storage question. In an address delivered in Maine bv the former oilicial sealer of weights and*measures at Cambridge, Massachusetts, two bushels of potatoes were shown which when purchased were found to be 131b short m weight. Wooden butter trays and paper bags were exhibited weighing an ounce apiece. Scales that could be made to weigh in favor of the seller bv the turning of a screw, others built to permit of the manipulation of the dial, and others v.-mch registered a different amount of the seller? side than thev did on the purchaser's side, were also shown. It has been proposed to present a Bill to the present Legislature to make compulsory the sale by weight of all such articles as are-now sold by dry measure, and also giving the State Commissioner power to regulate the types of scales to be used in commercial transactions. Such regulations have hitherto been unknown in Massachusetts. The variations between drv measure and actual weight for certain articles is strikingly illustrated in the following table :—Potatoes, actual weight of peck measure commonly in use 121b. theoretical weight of peck measure according to which purchaser pays 151b; apples, actual weight of peck mea-sure commonlv in use 91b, theoretical weight of peck "measure according to which purchaser pays onions, actual weight of peck measure commonly in use, HJ,lb, theoretical weight of peck measure according to which purchaser pays 14'lb; spinach, actual weight of peck measure commonlv in use theoretical weight of peck measure ao- . cording to which purchaser pajs 31b. „ '^