> The mechanical (Post Office)scales back then were easily as
> accurate or more accurate than the digital scales of today.
> The Post Office back then was still a branch of the federal
> government and was kinda like the Marines in their code of
> honor. (By the way for those unaware the Perry's fish was
> weighed at the Post Office.) If the employees at the Post
> Office said it weighed 22-4 that's what it weighed. There were
> enough witnesses that saw the fish that there's no way they
> would all mistake a Striper for a LMB.

Yup, a pound back then weighs as much as a pound in 2005, especially if it came from a gummint certified/calibrated scale. There are strict protocols in certifying trade and postal scales--you can look them up in the Code of Federal Regulations.