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and purchaser, that the same shall be sold and delivered at custom-house measure; the same being measured under the inspection of a custom house inspector.

SEC. 6. If any measurer or any deputy measurer shall, after being duly requested to perform any of the duties prescribed by this act, and after tender of his fees therefor, refuse or neglect so to do, he shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten dollars for every such offence; to be recovered in an action of debt before any justice of the peace within the town where the offence shall be committed; one half thereof to the person who shall prosecute and sue therefor, and the other half to the use of said town where such neglect occurred.

SEC. 7. All grain sold, where the contract is that it shall be delivered by weight, shall be exempted from the above law.

An Act to prevent Frauds and Abuses in the Sale of Hoops.

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1. Assize of hoops established.
2. Certain towns to choose viewers of
hoops annually-duty of viewers- 4.
hoops forfeited in case, &c.

3. Bundles to contain twenty-five each- 5.

to be sold by nett hundreds-forfeited
in case.

Penalty for shipping hoops not sur-
veyed.
Viewers' fees.

It is enacted by the General Assembly, as follows:

SECTION 1. All hoops made or brought into any town in this state and offered for sale as hogshead hoops, shall be at least one half thereof eleven feet and a half in length, and the other half not less than ten feet in length; and all those offered for barrel hoops shall hold out one with another at least seven feet and a half in length, and be of such size and substance as shall be sufficient for locking at the small end, and be otherwise suitable for immediate working.

SEC. 2. Each town where hoops are usually sold or exported, shall annually choose two or more viewers of hoops, who shall be under oath for the faithful performance of their trust, and whose business and duty it shall be to view and examine all hoops that may be offered for sale in or exported from this state; and whenever they shall view and find any hoops so offered for sale or to be exported fall short in the length aforesaid, or not of such size and substance as by this act is required, they shall be condemned and sold at auction by the officer who shall view the same, within twenty-four hours after giving notice to the owner thereof: and one quarter part of the money arising from the sale shall be applied to and for the use of the town where they shall be sold, and the

remainder, after paying thereout unto the viewer of such hoops his fees, shall be returned to the owner.

SEC. 3. All hoops shall be put up in bundles, to contain twenty-five each, and be sold by nett hundreds: when the officer viewing shall find any fraud in the bundles by their not containing the full number, every such bundle shall be condemned as forfeited, to be sold by the viewer in manner aforesaid; the money, after paying the viewer his fees, shall be by him lodged in the town treasury of the town where they are sold for the use of the town.

SEC. 4. If any person shall ship for exportation out of this state, any hoops which have not been duly surveyed and allowed to be merchantable agreeably to this act, he shall forfeit and pay the sum of three dollars and thirty-three cents for every thousand so shipped; to be recovered by any viewer of hoops in the town where they shall be so shipped, in an action of debt; one half to and for the use of the state, and the other to and for the use of the viewer who shall sue for the same. SEC. 5. Viewers of hoops shall receive at and after the rate of twenty-five cents for every thousand they shall view and examine; and if the hoops shall be adjudged good and merchantable, the buyer shall pay the same.

An Act to prevent Frauds in the tare of Butter Firkins or Tubs.

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It is enacted by the General Assembly, as follows:

SECTION 1. Every person who shall make or bring into this state any butter firkins or tubs, shall brand or mark each one of the same with the weight thereof, and with the initial letters of his name, in a plain and enduring manner, before he offers the same for sale.

SEC. 2. No person shall offer for sale any butter by the firkin or tub, unless each tub and firkin shall be branded or marked as afore provided.

SEC. 3. Every person who shall offer for sale any butter firkin or tub before the same shall be marked or branded as required in the first section of this act, or any butter by the firkin or tub, in any firkin or tub not marked or branded as aforesaid, or in any firkin or tub which shall weigh more than

the mark or brand on it, allowing two pounds additional in case, with the butter in it, it weighs less than sixty pounds, and three pounds if over sixty, for the brine absorbed by the same, he shall forfeit the sum of one dollar; to be recovered by action of debt, one half to and for the use of the state, and the other to and for the use of the person who shall sue for the same.

An Act regulating the Assize of Cider Barrels.

Assize of cider barrels-penalty for exposing for sale in casks less than the assizepenalty how recovered.

It is enacted by the General Assembly, as follows:

If any cider or cider beer be exposed to sale in any cask containing less than thirty-one and a half gallons, the same together with the cask shall be forfeited; the one half to him who will inform or sue for the same, and the other half to the use of the state, to be recovered before any court proper to try the same; and it shall and may be lawful for any justice of the peace, on complaint to him made, to issue his warrant for seizing within his county and securing any cask and liquor delared to be forfeited by this act.

An Act substituting Nett Weight for Gross Weight, and ascertaining the Weight of certain Articles.

SECTION

1. Nett weight substituted for gross.
2. Penalty for selling or weighing hay,
except by nett weight.

3. What parts of cattle purchased or
slaughtered, are weighable.

4. Penalty on weigher, &c., not accounting for all parts weighable.

5. Weighers to be annually appointedto be sworn-duty of-fees of.

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9. Onions by the rope. 10. Potatoes per bushel. 11. Onions per bushel.

12. Penalties how recovered and appro

6. Hay scales to be tried and sealed-in priated.

It is enacted by the General Assembly, as follows:

SECTION 1. In all contracts and sales of or relating to hay or any other article usually sold by weight, such contracts and sales shall be deemed to be made for nett weight and not for gross weight; and the custom heretofore in use of buying or selling one hundred and twelve pounds for a hundred, and two thousand two hundred and forty pounds for a ton is hereby abolished; and hereafter two thousand pounds shall be taken

and considered to be a ton, and all parts thereof in equal proportion.

SEC. 2. Every person who shall sell and deliver, and any person who shall weigh any hay or make out a bill of the weight thereof, except by nett weight, shall forfeit the sum of ten dollars.

SEC. 3. The following parts of all neat-cattle purchased by the hundred weight or slaughtered by any person, such person having contracted to account for the same to the owner or seller of the same, shall be denominated weighable, viz: the whole of the several four quarters, the hide, horns and tallow.

SEC. 4. Any person slaughtering or weighing any neatcattle, and being obliged to account for the same to the owner or seller thereof as aforesaid, who shall not weigh and account for all those parts of such cattle denominated weighable as aforesaid, shall forfeit and pay for every offence the sum of twenty dollars.

SEC. 5. The board of aldermen of the city of Providence shall annually, in the month of April, appoint not less than six, and each town council in this state two persons, for the purpose of weighing all neat cattle slaughtered in their respective towns, unless otherwise specially agreed between the seller and buyer. These officers shall take the oath prescribed for town officers, and shall weigh all parts of said cattle made weighable by the third section of this act, deducting therefrom for green weight not more than one pound for every hundred pounds of the weight thereof. The fees of such weigher shall be twenty-five cents per head for all cattle weighed; one half part of which shall be paid by the seller, and the other by the buyer thereof.

SEC. 6. Every person who shall keep hay-scales or platform balances for public use, shall cause the same to be tried and sealed, if in the city of Providence or in either of the towns of Newport, Bristol or Warren, at least once in every six months, and if in any other place at least once in every year, by a sworn sealer of weights and measures.

SEC. 7. Every person who shall keep hay-scales or platform balances for public use, or who shall weigh or suffer to be weighed in such scales or balances any article of merchandize, unless said scales or balances shall have been tried and sealed, as provided for in the preceding section, shall forfeit and pay for each and every offence the sum of twenty dollars.

SEC. 8. In the sale of Indian meal or rye meal by weight,

the same shall be estimated at and after the rate of fifty pounds per bushel. If any person shall sell a less number of pounds for a bushel, he shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten dollars.

SEC. 9. Every rope of onions which shall be offered for sale shall weigh three pounds. If any of less weight shall be offered for sale, the same shall be forfeited; and the person offering the same for sale shall forfeit and pay for every offence the sum of twenty dollars.

SEC. 10. In the sale of potatoes by weight the same shall be estimated at and after the rate of sixty pounds per bushel.

SEC. 11. In the sale of onions and of all other root crops by weight, the same shall be estimated at and after the rate of fifty pounds per bushel.

SEC. 12. All penalties and forfeitures incurred under this act shall and may be recovered by action of debt before any court of competent jurisdiction; one half thereof to and for the use of the state, and the other to and for the use of the person who shall sue for the same.

SECTION

An Act establishing a Method of Guaging.

SECTION

1. Guagers may be appointed-method 3. Bung diameter.

of guaging-fees.

2. Mean diameter.

4. Penalty for selling without guage.

It is enacted by the General Assembly, as follows:

SECTION 1. No rum, gin, molasses, wine, cider, beer, brandy, or any other liquid whatever, usually sold by measure in casks, or any other commodities sold by the gallon, shall be guaged in any other way and method than that which is commonly called "guaging by Gunter;" for which purpose proper persons shall be chosen guagers of casks, in each town where there shall be occasion for it, who shall be sworn as other officers. The fees for guaging a single cask shall be six cents, and for guaging any number of casks not exceeding ten, three cents for each cask, and for any number above ten, two cents for each cask; and the guager who shall guage any cask shall fairly mark the initial letters of his name and the quantity of the guage or contents of such cask, with branding or marking irons, on the head or bulge of each cask.

SEC. 2. The rule and method to be used to find the mean diameter of any cask, in order to give the true guage thereof, shall be by multiplying the difference between the head and bung diameter, with 0-65, and adding the product to the

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