HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 10-YAN ORDINANCE
ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE CREATING THE OFFICE OF
INSPECTOR OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES IN THE CITY OF
BEAUMONT; PRESCRIBING THE STANDARD OF.WEIGHTS
AND MEASURES FOR THE CITY OF BEAUMONT; PRESCRIB-
ING INSPECTORS DUTIES; PROVIDING FOR.THE ISSUANCE
OF CERTIFICATES OF ACCURACY OF WEIGHING AND MEASUR-
ING DEVICES; PROHIBITING THE INSPECTOR FROM VEND-
ING ANY WEIGHING OR MEASURING DEVICES; PROHIBITING
THE GIVING OF SHORT WEIGHTS OR MEASURES; PROHIBIT-
ING THE VENDOR FROM USING WEIGHING AND MEASURING
DEVICES UNLESS OFFICIAL SEAL OF INSPECTION IS AF-
FIXED THERETO; PROVIDING PENALTY, SEPARABILITY
CLAUSE, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT
THEREWITH.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS:
Section 1.
c�S
There is hereby created the office of inspector of weights
and measures which shall be filled by some suitable person by ap-
pointment of the City Manager, subject to the approval of the City
Council. Such person shall receive such salary as the City Council
may provide. It is further provided, however, that the City may
impose the duties herein prescribed upon such officer as it sees
fit already in the employ of the City.
Section 2.
The inspector of weights and measures shall procure through
the purchasing agent a complete set of accurate weights and measures
and shall cause the same to be tried, proved, sealed and certified
to by the official custodian of weights and measures of the State
of Texas or by the National Bureau of Standards of the United States.
Thereafter such weights and measures shall be the standard of
weights and measures for the City and for all vendors therein. The
inspector shall be the custodian of such standard set of weights and
measures, and the same shall at all times conform to the standard
of weights and measures established and prescribed by law. The
inspector shall prescribe the amount of tolerance to be allowed
on weights and measures.
Section 3.
-It shall be the duty of the inspector of weights and
measures, as soon after his appointment and qualification as
possible, not less than one time during each and every year and
as much oftener as may in his judgment be necessary to inspect and
test the accuracy of all weights, measures, scales, scale beams,
balances, steelyards, automatic and computing scales, and all
other instruments used in weighing and measuring any articles in-
tended to be purchased or sold in said City, and to stamp with a
suitable and permanent seal upon which shall appear the year when
such inspection shall be made and the letters, B. S. (meaning
Beaumont Standard), all such weights and measures so used which
he may find do accurately conform to the City standard, and deliver
to the owner thereof a certificate of their accuracy. Such weights,
measures and scales so sealed shall be described in such certificate
with sufficient particularity so that the same may be identified
and such certificate shall be signed by the inspector of weights
and measured by whom the inspection is made.
Section 4.
,It shall be the duty of the inspector to make a register
of all weights, measures, scale beams, patent balances, steelyards,
and other instruments used for weighing or measuring, inspected
and sealed by him, in which he shall state the names of the owners
of the same, their addresses, and whether they are conformable to
the standard of the City.
Section 5.
It shall be unlawful for the inspector of weights and
measures to vend any weights, measures, scales, scale beams, patent
balances, steelyards, automatic computing scales or other instru-
ments to be used for the purpose of weighing or measuring, or to
offer or expose the same for sale, or be interested, directly or
indirectly, in the sale of the same in the City, or to recommend
to any person within said City the purchase of any particular
person, of any of the aforesaid articles.
Section 6.
If the inspector of weights and measures shall find that
any weights or measures or instruments for weighing or measuring
are incorrect, inaccurate or unreliable beyond the limits of
tolerance allowed, each such weight or other instrument for weigh-
ing shall be marked "condemned" and such measure confiscated.
Section 7.
The standards of weights and measures established and pre-
scribed by the laws of the State of Texas shall constitute the
standard of weights and measures for all vendors of all commodities
in the City. All weights and measures used by all vendors in the
City shall conform to such standard. All commodities bought or
sold by weight or measure within the limits of the City shall be
weighed or measured in accordance therewith.
Section 8.
Every person using weights, measures, scale beams, patent
balances, steelyards, or any instrument in weighing or measuring
any articles intended to be purchased or sold in the City, or in
weighing or measuring any thing, commodity, merchandise, wares,
person or animal for hire or reward, shall -.cause the same to be
inspected and sealed by the inspector of weights and measures in
accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance, and a failure
or refusal so to do shall be an offense.
Section 9.
Any person who shall sell or offer for sale or cause to
be sold or offered for sale any commodity or article of merchandise
of any kind whatsoever, whether sold by dry measurement, liquid
measurement, linear measurement, superficial measurement, cubic
measurement, weight, or by any unit of enumeration used in deter-
mining or measuring quantity, by selling or offering for sale or
causing or permitting to be sold or offered for sale any commodity
or article of merchandise of any kind whatsoever in quantities of
less weight or measure or enumeration represented by the vendor;
or his agent or employee upon such sale or offer of sale, or who
2.
shall sell or offer for sale or cause or permit to be sold or
offered for sale any commodity in any receptacle containing a less
quantity than it is represented at the time of offer or sale to
contain, or any article measured by dry measure that shall not be
required by this Ordinance, or who shall sell or offer for sale or
cause or permit to be sold or offered for sale any article of dry
measurement in other than a legal liquid measure, or any article
of liquid measurement in other than a legal dry measure, or in any
measure which has not been inspected by the inspector of weights
and measures in accordance with and pursuant to the provisions of
this Ordinance, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Section 10.
It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer for
sale or -to permit or cause to be sold or offered for sale by wet
measure, any commodity ordinarily bought and sold by dry measure.
Section 11.
It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer for
sale or buy or offer to buy, or to permit or cause to be bought
or offered to be bought, any commodity by any standard of measure
except the proper standard herein prescribed for weighing or
measuring such commodity.
Section 12.
It shall be unlawful for any vendor or purchaser to offer
to sell, or to sell, or to sell and deliver, any commodity ordin-
arily and usually sold in bulk or quantity, by weight or measure,
unless the same be weighed or measured, as the case may be, upon
or by officially tested scales, scale beams, patent balances,
steelyards, automatic or computing scales, or other instruments
for weighing or measuring.
Section 13.
It shall be unlawful for any vendor of any commodity which
is ordinarily or usually sold or bought or offered for sale or pur-
chased by weight or measure, to sell or offer to sell any such com-
modity in the City, unless in the sale or purchase thereof he uses
only such weights, measures, scales, scale beams, patent balances,
steelyards, automatic or computing scales or other instruments for
weighing or measuring any such commodity so sold or offered to be
sold or bought, as have been approved by the inspector of weights
and measures or his regularly appointed deputies, and then.only
after each such weight, measure, scale, scale beam, patent balance,
steelyard, automatic or computing scales or other instruments for
weighing or measuring shall have been inspected and officially
sealed and approved with the official seal and a certificate of
approval"thereof issued by the inspector of weights and measures;
provided, however, that such certificate of approval shall not be
issued for a period to exceed one year. Changes in name, location
or business, number or character of weights and measures shall be
endorsed upon said certificate by the sealer of weights and measures.
Section 14.
It shall be unlawful for any vendor to use or to have in
his possession with intent to use, or to have in his possession in
a position to use, any weight, measure, scales, scale beams, patent
balances, steelyards, automatic or computing scales or other instru-
ments for weighing or measuring, unless the same have affixed there-
on the official seal of the inspector of weights and measures, and
3:
unless the same conform to the standard of weights and measures
herein prescribed.
Section 15.
It shall'be unlawful for any vendor to sell, offer for
sale or have in his possession with the intent to sell, or cause
or permit to be sold or offered for sale in original packages,
boxes, crates, bottles, cartons, cases, bags, sacks or other
receptacles, any commodity ordinarily or usually sold or offered
for sale in bulk or otherwise by weight or measure, unless the
true net weight or measure of the commodity so contained shall
be plainly and legibly stamped or printed on the face of each
such package, box, crate, bottle, carton, case, bag, sack or
other receptacle and unless the commodity so sold or handled or
offered for sale is actually sold or offered for sale as of such
true net weight or measure.
Section 16.
It shall be unlawful for any vendor to use any computing
scale which shows on either side thereof a chart of prices which
are arithmetically incorrect in that they do not show the exact
product of the weight and price of the commodity sold.
Section 17.
It shall be unlawful for any person to refuse to exhibit
any weight, measure, scale, scale beam, patent balance, steelyard,
automatic or computing scale or other instrument used for weigh-.
ing or measuring for the purpose of having it inspected.
Section 18.
It shall be unlawful for any person in any way or manner
to obstruct, hinder or molest the inspector of weights and measures
in the performance of his duties as hereby imposed.
Section 19.
It shall be unlawful for any person, except the inspector
of weights and measures, to change, alter, adjust, modify or in
any wise tamper with any officially tested and sealed weights,
measures, scales, scale beams, patent balances, steelyards, auto-
matic or computing scales or other instruments for weighing or
measuring or to attach or remove the official seal or any con-
demnation tag of the inspector of weights and measures or any
imitation thereof, to or from any weights, measures, scales, scale
beams, patent balances, steelyards, automatic or computing scales
or other instruments for weighing or measuring, or to deface such
seal or tag or tamper with the same.
Section 20.
Every person in the City selling or delivering ice shall
at the time of the actual delivery of any ice sold, weigh the
quantity of ice delivered and for that purpose shall use a steel-
yard balance or other apparatus for weighing such ice which shall
conform to the standard of weights and measures in use in the City,
and all ice delivered to consumers within the City shall be sold
by avoirdupois weight.
Section 21.
Every person selling or offering for sale within the City
any gasoline, naphtha or other products for use in automobile or
other gasoline driven engines of any nature shall have posted in a
conspicuous place and in letters or figures not less than two inches
in height, upon the container, automatic pump or other contrivance,
used in a container or measuring de vice, a sign stati
sold, whether gasoline, naphtha or other product, and
the duty of the inspector of weights and measures to
all measures, automatic measuring pumps, or -other mea
used for measuring gasoline, naphtha or any other pro
purpose of detecting inaccuracies, and any person own
ing any such measure, automatic measuring pump or oth
ng the product
it shall be
test and prove
suring devices
duct for the
ing or operat--
er device shall
permit the inspector of weights and measures to test and prove any
such appliances, and said inspector of weights and measures shall
seal all such measures, automatic measuring pumps or other devices
"correct" where found to be correct and shall seal as "condemned"
where found incorrect, and it shall be unlawful for any person to
operate or use any such measuring device for measuring which is
sealed "condemned" or to sell, cause or permit to be sold any pro-
duct other than that which it is represented to be.
Section 22.
It shall be unlawful for any person to practice deceit or
fraud of any kind whatever in the sale of wood, coal, grain, ber-
ries, fruit, vegetables, liquids or fruits of any kind or any
other commodity or article of merchandise of any kind whatsoever
whether sold by dry measure or liquid measure by selling or offer-
ing for sale any such wood, coal, grain, berries, fruit, vegetables,
liquid or fluid of any kind or any other commodity or article of
merchandise of 'any kind whatsoever in quantities of less weight
or measure represented by the vendor or his agent or employee upon
such sale or offer for sale or who shall sell or offer for sale
any article of dry measure in other than a legal dry measure or any
article of liquid measurement in other than a legal liquid measure,
or in any measure, which has not been inspected and sealed as cor-
rect by the inspector of weights and measures in accordance with
and pursuant to the provisions of this Ordinance.
Section 23.
Any person found guilty of violating any provisions of
this Ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and subject
to a fine in a. sum not less than One ($1.00) Dollar nor more than
Two Hundred ($200.00) Dollars for each violation of any provision
of this Ordinance, and each day of the continuanceof such viola-
tion shall constitute a separate offense and be punishable as such
hereunder.
Section 24.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or
portion of this Ordinance is for any reason held invalid or uncon-
stitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such section,
subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion shall be deemed a
separate, distinct and independent provision and such holding shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portions thereof.
Section 25.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent with
or contrary hereto are hereby repealed.
i
PASSED by the City Council this day of - �•lr ,..L. ,
A. D. 1953.
- Mayor -
UqW
PUBLISHER'S AFFIDAVIT
THE STATE. OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF JEFFERSON
Before me, the undersigned authority, personally appeared
R. A. Bean
who, being by me duly sworn, says that the f o r e g o i n g and
attached Legal Notice
was published on the following dates: February 19, 201
and 21 A. D. 19 53
in the BEAUMONT Journal , a daily newspaper
printed and published at Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas.
SUBSCRIBED and sworn to 'before me, this the .2 S4- .day
A. D. 19-r_
NOTARY LPYBUIC In and. for Jeffermn Comty Tessa
y
Cl -
leak Cftlnj Hep
This is t
of The Cil
session h,
ary, 1853,
11 BeaurnOnt Passed in regillar
on the 17th day. of FeBru-
te following ordinance:
AN,ORDINANCE
kN •ORDINANCE CREATING -
E, 'OF INSPECTOR OF
VD'MEASURES IN THE CITY
ONT; PRESCRIBING _Tic
OF WEIGHTS. AND- MEAS-!
THE CITY OF BEAUMONT;'
G INSPECTORS' D U T -I E S;
PROHIBITING THE INSPECTOR 'FROM
VENDING. ANY WEIGHING OR MEAS-
URING : DEVICES; PROHIBITING THE.
GIVING OF SHORT WEIGH_TS, OR
MEASURES; PROHIBITING THE VENDOR
FROM USING WEIGHING AND' MEAS-
URING DEVICES UNLESS OFFICIAL
SEAL -OF' 'INSPECTION IS AFFIXED,
THERETO:=PROVIDING PENALTY,:SEP-
ARABILITY -CLAUSE AND REPEALING.
ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT THERE-
WITH.
Jas. T. Garrard
City Clerk
R EC E VED
OFFICE OF CITY CLERK
BEAUMONT, TEXAS
Date oL - li � - .I 3