inspection department, but the individual of the middle or poorer classes had to take what was offered to him or else go to court with every prospect that he would lose his case on some technicality.
In 1902 the writer visited several of the larger cities in the State of New York for the purpose of ascertaining how efficient the inspection service was. The results were discouraging: in most places the inspectors were paid by fees for sealing the apparatus and, consequently, they were only interested in sealing the apparatus for which they could collect fees. They cared very little whether the apparatus was correct when examined, and still less whether it was properly used afterwards. New York City had ten sealers, at $1,200 each, and ten inspectors, at $1,500, under the city clerk, but most of them did little else except draw their salaries. The writer called upon one of them about ten o'clock in the morning and found him still in bed. His young child was playing with his standard weights, which he quickly took away from him when the object of the visit was explained. He frankly admitted that he owed his appointment to his political activity and that little or no services were expected of him.
The situation in New York was no worse than in other sections of the country, as we afterwards found out; it was merely typical of the conditions that existed throughout the country at that time. A couple of years later, or in 1904, the bureau conceived the plan of inviting those officers in the states who were by law charged with the custody of the state standards, to meet in Washington to study the weights and measures situation, and to ascertain what steps should be taken to insure some measure of protection to the public. The first meeting took place in January, 1905, and was, it is believed, the first meeting ever held in this country for the purpose of considering this subject. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Virginia, Iowa—in all eight states—and the District of Columbia sent delegates. The governors of many of the other states showed interest in the matter, but stated that on account of the lack of available funds from which the expenses of the delegates could be defrayed it would be impossible to have their states represented. Nevertheless, the delegates who did attend were greatly interested in the subject and requested the bureau to arrange for similar meetings annually. Many of them did not know that they had any laws to enforce or any standards to take care of until their attention was directed to the state laws on the subject by the bureau.
Meetings have been held every year since, but the number of states represented never exceeded seventeen until 1912, when 25 states and 34 of the most important cities, including the District of Columbia, were represented. What the earlier conferences lacked in numbers, however, they made up in enthusiasm. By conferring with one another, and by discussion, the delegates learned what was needed, and
