ABSTRACT
This chapter is a case history of weights and measures regulation in Seattle, Washington from its establishment in 1911 through the present day. In the beginning, commodities such as ice (for ice boxes – the predecessors of refrigerators), coal, fruit, vegetables and seafood were sold from bulk using calibrated scales that were periodically tested by weights and measures inspectors. Early weights and measures ordinances required that some basic commodities be sold in standard packages (standard net contents, e.g., one pound of butter) such as milk, butter, bread and potatoes in sacks. The expense of the weights and measures regulatory program in Seattle was partially defrayed by the assessment of inspection fees on weighing and measuring devices. In modern times, bulk sales of commodities have been largely replaced by packaged goods. New inspection types, such as price scanning and net contents of packaged goods, became necessary for consumer protection.
