COAL BELOW WEIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18460, 25 July 1923, Page 11

COAL BELOW WEIGHT.

DEALERS' RESPONSIBILITY. AMOUNT ;MUST BE STATED. ACTIVITY OF DEPARTMENT. [B* TELEGRAPH.—OWN COfcRESPONDENr.j • \ ; ' ; ':f WELLINGTON, Tuesday. f A" good deal was said 'a few months ago of the particular type of coal', shortage which moved one to . think-hard • arid protest quite uselessly when the family ; coalman called ' and . dumped into the bins sacks of coal which may have i been up to weight or may not have been. ■In April steps were taken to remove cause for complaint from coal buyers by way of ah addition ;to the Weights and v Measures Act authorising the inspection weighing of sacks of coal and .coke. V This placed the, short-weight coalman on the same footing as regards liability to. prosecution as the : short-weight baker or butter merchant. , '■ ..;. .• ■ ■'•

Coal merchants.throughout the Oomwiibi) were duly : notified,* of the new requirements, which '■; provided mainly: that they should hand to their customers a docket setting out the I true weighed : weight of the coal or coke delivered and that coal hawkers who simply ■ called from house to house soliciting orders :'aridL delivering, from the stock' carried in tucir carta— either deliver in closed bags tagged', with the true weight the contents or should carry scales on their carts. No active 'steps' were ( taken by the } Labour Department 5 for some- time :. in I order that coal merchants might accust on themselves -ito ; * the conditions imposed b'/ the Act. ; Eecently, however, the ; inspectors of the department' in all towns in the Dominion commenced V series of ; rounds of inspection of • coal % yards; 'It was- stated this morning that the results, quite plainly showed that the complaints and protests as ':' to short L measure had been -well -justified in some towns. , . ' ! ; In one; large town, not Wellington by the way, it was the. general custom among dealers not ,: : to ; weigh. out : their' ■ sacks at all, but to fill them up so far, apparently, and :, let 'it go. at that. ;, Elsewhere .there was a' custom of -splitting up a; ton or so of coal among so many' bags, and in very many cases in several' towns . considerable shortages were found when inspectors placed "hundred-weights" .■■■■■■■ upon the scales. f Again, -:' : ; some '.• scales weighed " hundred-weights'' which : fell so':' much or so- little below the hundred-weight, as officially recognised,' and ;of thoie some have been adjusted} and some : seized. To those merchants who have simply " filled the sacks, up so- far " formal notice has been given to procure scales. ;; - s --v ■■• -~.;•? :■' Proceedings' have -been taken in the more flagrant cases, and - warnings - have been given to > others. V Wellington .-'■•■ coal merchants ; have „ not • been 'altogether blameless in regard ; to. short weight sacks, but even so, I Wellington is ':■. not nearly at the bottom of /the,-class. '",»,.':' '"'

This first series of inspections was undertaken and-: prosecutions were, made rather in the nature of a general warning,-bat if further action is found' necessary : the penal : ; provision.-'of I the Act will :be rigidlyenforced: The;new- clause • does not of course.':. mean ; that ■ every sack! or . cOal,; or coke delivered to every. customer will pass under the i: inspector's' eyes, and ; over .his scale platform, ; bub the;inspector may;| call on the merchant i ; at ; any s time and weigh up < any weighed .bag ;so that '■■< the; check upon ■- particular sacks, in " particular .. yards becomes at once a. general check....