What is in a Ton?
To the Editor of the "Nomi-Cunsa Darty News"
Sim—I shalt be very much obliged some one of your readers could enlighten me on the following sub-Jeet.
Some time ago I telephoned to big producing coal company in the French Concession to send me 2 basket of small briquettes, and upon inquiring how many pounds 1 would get, to my astonishment I got answer that there would be 250 1b. with an explanation that 1/8 ton of briquettes weighs only 250 Ib. Instead of the usual 275 Ib. relating to all other kinds of coal.
Now, could someone inform me whether there are different tons, or the above based on the assumption that a pound of iron is heavier than pound of feathers?
In this connection, I would like to loxpress my desire, no doubt, shared by' many, that the local authorities should make a habit of inspecting, say, once a month the smaller Chinese grocery shops. There the swindle does not amount to tons, but teach pound is short of two ounces fand, in some cases, even a quarter fof @ pound.
In these hard times, when dealers first necessaries grasp every op~ portunity to raise prices, it would be ery appropriate if our city fathers could see their way to protect the suffering public against this "under~ weight evil'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.