UNDERWEIGHT PACKETS OF TEA.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17749, 28 April 1923, Page 15

UNDERWEIGHT PACKETS OF TEA.

VENDOR FINED £25. (PBE3S ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) ' AUCKLAND, April 27. A tea merchant named Cyril Augustus Paque, who had carried on business under the name of the Person Trading Company, pleaded guilty to having sold tea bearing a false statement, "slb net," purporting to indicate the Alight of the tea. It was stated that of twelve packets weighed by an expert, the net shortage in weight was found to be 7on 14drs. It had also been ascertained that 710 fewer than 112 packets did not contain the correct weight. In a letter, defendant stated that the under-weight packages had been made up by an assistant, who was ill, and this was probably the explanation. It had not been done knowingly. Defendant, who was present, asked the Magistrate to take a lenient viow of the case. He had not offended wittingly, and new scales were being procured. "Poor neople buy these small packages," observed his "Worship, "and I think there must have been something very wrong with defendant's conduct of the business if he did not know that short-weight packets were tein? made no. It was only a small business, and it would haive been easy to keep in touch with thincs, and to see that there was no shortweight. I w;U imnc«e the substantial penalty of £26."