fees drawn from those whose weights and measures he examines, and corrects if necessary, though the latter mode may be more profitable to the sealer. The double fee to sealers, which was allowed by a special act of the Legislature in 1817, was, in the opinion of many persons, abrogated by a subsequent law upon the same subject, passed in 1847. By the reduction of the fees of the office, which were formerly paid by the trader, to the amount of fifty per cent, the City of Boston incurs additional expense for the payment of the salaries and contingencies of the office over and above the amount received therefrom and paid into the City Treasury. Still, the additional expense incurred by the city under the present arrangement is of minor consideration when compared with the importance of securing the public against fraud in their purchases. Erroneous views have prevailed in the community to a considerable extent with respect to the amount which Sealers of Weights and Measures have realized under the fee system which has heretofore been connected with their office, while I may say with due deference to all others, that I am of opinion that I looked after the business of my office as closely as the public good required, and examined into the practices of persons using weights, scales, and measures, as vigilantly as any one holding the same situation ever has done. I can state from reference to my books of account, that my gross receipts from the office never exceeded three thousand dollars a year. After paying the expenses of carrying on the business properly, the net amount of fees which accrued to me during the three years in which I held the office of sealer averaged about eighteen hundred dollars per annum. This cannot be considered an extravagant sum for a proper incumbent of the office, of which it was observed by the committee which reported the Ordinance for accepting the present State law upon the subject: "No one is fitted for this duty who does not understand the whole subject and science of meteorology, or who is not enough of a mechanician to superintend the repairs and detect any attempt at deception. Nor should any one

be appointed a sealer who has not sufficient self-control to resist temptation."

The law of 1863, relating to the Sealing of Weights and Measures, empowers the sealer, whenever he has reasonable cause to think that alterations have been made in the standard of Weights and Measures after they have been officially examined, or that they have in any way been tampered with by those who sell or purchase by them, to re-enter the premises of the dealer and again test their accuracy. This provision of the law I believe to have had a salutary effect upon such people as may be disposed to alter their scales, weights, or measures for purposes of fraud upon those who deal with them. Mere suspicion, however, should not be considered the groundwork for any such re-examination, which would be looked upon as an indignity by the honest trader. However, the law is made to prevent deviations from fair dealing in measure of merchantable commodities, and if the framers had presumed that all traders, of all degrees, were scrupulously honest, they would not have considered that any such statute was necessary.

It may be proper in this connection to refer to one branch of business which has been surreptitiously carried on in Boston, viz: the selling of fruit, vegetables, berries, and such like commodities by wine measure. It has been ascertained during the past year, that dealers in these articles, to a very great extent, have disregarded the statute which require that they shall be sold in this State by dry measure. Numerous complaints were made by citizens to the Sealers with regard to this species of petty fraud, which affects mostly the poorer class of the city. After consultation with His Honor the Mayor respecting this trickey evasion of the law, it was determined that the Sealers should give public notice to all concerned that these illicit practices were known to be carried on, and that they must be stopped forthwith, and also that all such violations of the law would subject their authors to the legal consequences thereof. This was done on the first day of February last, and several parties were after

wards prosecuted. These measures had the desired effect, and it is believed that at the present time the practice has been in a great measure abated, and that nearly all such dealers have furnished themselves with the measures which are required by the law. Still, there is no doubt that there are some dealers who watch for an opportunity to sell to strangers, by short measure, or when they think an ignorant customer wishes to purchase, and when there is but little probability of being detected in this illegal traffic.

If our citizens would provide themselves more generally than they now do, with the proper apparatus for weighing and measuring, and would take the trouble to examine their purchases, and test the accuracy of their weights and measures, it would assist in a great measure in obviating the evils that now exist and in bringing to punishment the dishonest dealer.

No intelligent person I think, would suppose for a moment, that two Sealers in a large city like Boston, with the necessary duties of keeping their books of record, and the constant increase of their other official duties, can give that attention to outside business, or make as frequent visits through their districts as is desirable; and I respectfully recommend to the City Council that some provision should be made, whereby the Sealers may be allowed the expense of clerk hire. In such case any spare time that the Sealer might find beyond attending to his usual official duties, could be occupied to the good of the public by visiting the stores of dealers on detective service as before mentioned. There is one other subject that occurs to me which has a bearing in the matter of fraud, which is this. It It very often occurs that when upon my official duties I find some scale, weight, or measure that cannot be brought to the legal standard. In such cases as these I can only forbid their use, which may or may not be kept up after the Sealer has left. I respectfully submit that the Sealers should have authority to destroy all scales, weights, and measures that cannot be brought to the correct standard; but this of course would require some legislative enactment.

Business of the year ending June 30, 1864.

During which time I have visited within my district, 1,495 stores and shops where the various kinds of trades are carried on, and where scales, weights, and measures are used for the purpose of buying and selling, and examined and sealed the same. At which places I examined the following number of scales, weights, and measures. Platform balances, 1,344; weights and measures, 17,235; small scales of different kinds not before mentioned 1,125. Total number of scales, weights, and measures examined and sealed during the past year, 19,704. At nearly one half of the whole number of places of business visited it was found necessary to adjust or repair the scales, weights, and measures in use. I will here state that the business of my district has not entirely been completed. Although the ordinance was passed July 6, 1863, for reasons beyond my control, I was not able to commence sealing until about the first of August of last year, that part of the work which remains unfinished is that of the apothecaries, and dry goods dealers and Quincy Market, which will occupy at least thirty days longer for me to complete my circuit.

The gross amount of fees received by me during the past year, and paid into the City Treasury, was $1,873.22.

The following statement will show the expenses of the office, which I believe to be quite accurate, viz:

Rent of office, 25 Doane Street, one year

$150 00

Expense of boarding and shoeing horse, one year,

275 00

Covering for wagon

13 00

Street blanket for horse

Buffalo robe

$12 50

15 00

1,500 00

Salary of Sealer and allowance for assistant

Amount paid by city on account of repairs to scales,

Total Expenses

From which deduct gross amount fees received,

Amount in excess of Receipts of the office,

213 20

$2,848 70

1,873 22

$975 48

SCHEDULE OF PROPERTY.

A schedule of property belonging to the City and used in my Department, at 25 Doane Street, comprising the Standard of Weights and Measures, Office Furniture, and the necessary Tools used in the business of sealing.

STANDARD OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

1 Avoirdupois balance of 50 lbs.

1 Set avoirdupois weights of sixteen divisions, as follows: two of one drachm each, one of two drachms; 1, 1, 1, 2, 4, and 8 ounces; 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 25, and 50 lbs. weights.

1 Set liquid measures of six divisions, 1 gill, 1 pint, 1 pint, 1 quart, 2 quarts, and 1 gallon measures.

1 Set dry measures of five divisions, 1 quart, 2 quarts, 4 quarts, 8 and 16 quart measures.

2 Yard measures.

1 Troy balance.

1 Set Troy weights, viz: Two of 500, one of 300, one of 200, one of 100, and one each of 50, 30, 20, 10, 5, 3, 2, and 1 pennyweights.

1 Set copper measures, viz: gill, 1 gill, 1 pint, 1 pint, 1 quart, gallon, 1 gallon, and one of three gallons, all of wine measures.