UNDER-WEIGHT BREAD

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 18, 20 July 1918, Page 10

UNDER-WEIGHT BREAD

BAKERS FINED.

The poor quality of coal obtainable in Wellington at the present time was blamed by two bakers, Frederick William Meyer and John Physick, who were proceeded against at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon by Mr. J. H. Cowdrey, Inspector under the Sale of Pure Food and Drugs Act, for selling underweight, bread.. Mr. J. Prendeville, of the Crown Law Office, prosecuted, Mr. A. AY. Blair appeared for the defendant Meyer, and Physick was represented by Mr. H. F.. O'Leary. " For the prosecution it was stated that the total weight of eight of Meyer's loaves was 7ozs 12 drams short, and ten of the loaves bought from the defendant Physick, which should have weighed in all 301bs, scaled 29lbs Oozs 11 drams only, that is, 15ozs 5 drams short. Both defendants were given the ow>ortunity by the Inspector of selecting the loaves to be weighed. Meyer said that as a rule he considered 50 minutes the proper time to be allowed for baking, but occasionally lately the coal'had been so bad that the batch was baked in under two hours, i Consequently, there was a much greater amount of evaporation. He considered that 2lbs 4ozs of dough allowed a safe : margin for tho finished 21b loaf, given good fuel. Physick explained the shortj age in his bread in much the same way, stating that the baking with the fuel at present available took up to three-quar-ters of an hour longer than it should do. He allowed 3iozs for evaporation. "How long have you known that the increased time in baking resulted in greater evaporation?" asked Mr. McCarthy. "The coal has been bad for the last twelve months." The Magistrate remarked that the shortage did not matter a great deal to some people, but that the working man, in receipt of a small wage, must get full weight for his money. Mr. Prendeville remarked that bread had been weighed in other bakehouses, but that the difficulty in obtaining good coal did not affect tho weight of their bread. Defendant Physick was fined £3, with costs 17s 6d, and Meyer £2, with costs 17s 6d. i