WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19470, 28 October 1926, Page 12

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

I CHANGES UNDER NEW ACT. DRAFT OF THE REGULATIONS. STANDARDISATION OF PACKAGES. ' A copy of the proposed regulations io ■ be issued on January 1 next under the ■ Weights and Measures Act passed by Parliament last session has been received by 1 the Auckland Chamber of Commerce from the Department of Labour. In an ex--1 planatory note, the chief inspector, Mr. : F. W. Rowley, states the draft has been i issued tentatively to enable representations to be made for their endorsement or i amendment as might seem necessary. Tho Act hitherto in force has required , r merely that weighing and measuring ap- 1 ■ i pliances used for trade should be correct. , It has not beeu an offence to sell short { weight or measure, although provision to r ensure the sale of correct weight and : measure is contained in the Sale of Food t and Drugs Act, 1908, and the regulations . thereunder, which are still in force. Under the new Act it will be an offence to sell short weight and measure, and goods made up in tins or packages must ; be sold by net weight or measure, that [ is to say, the tin or package must not be included. » Commodities exempted from the effect : of this provision are listed in the draft , regulations. All goods sold by net weight . must be marked in a manner set out in the regulations. Where goods are thus j sold by not weight and are delivered, the > seller shall, except in the exempted cases [ mentioned, furnish an invoice or deliveryj note showing the net weight or measure, j This, of course, does not apply to goods weighed or measured at the purchaser's , premises. ) Exemptions from Net Weight Sale. f Certain commodities are exempt from ■ net weight sale when they are sold by 1 gross weight, and an invoice or deliveryf note showing such weight is delivered to 1 the purchaser. These commodities are: • Agricultural produce (wheat, maize, oats, ' potatoes, chaff, etc.), when sold in full 5 sacks of standard or customary size, hay ■ in bales, and milled products of grain ' (flour, bran, pollard, wheat-meal, etc.), ' when sold in full sacks of standard or 7 customary size over 501b. in weight. t The new Act was also designed to en- > sure some sort of standardisation of packi ages, and with this intention the proposed - regulations prescribe the quantities of cer--3 tain listed goods that must be enclosed - in the packages. These are stipulated as r ioz., joz., loz., 20z., 40z., Boz., 120z., lib., l£lb., or multiples of lib. Fluids are • also classified on parallel lines. Articles j of food to be sold in these standardised - packages are butter, tea, sugar, coffee and chicory and their essences, cocoa, • treacle and golden syrup, honey (except in the comb), pepper and mustard, while j non-foods coming under this regulation - are black japan, Brunswick black, candles, " laundry starch, nails, paints, soap other than toilet soap, tobacco, turpentine and a varnish. This regulation, of course, does not apply to articles weighed or measured f in the presence of the purchaser, and, as ' far as bottles are concerned, applies only - to milk and cream. The clause relating to standardised packages will not come into force for six months after the regulations operate, so that traders may have timo to adapt their orders to the new conditions. The Sale oi Coal. « A farther clause in the regulations re- j lates to the sale of coal, which, after t January 1, cannot bo sold in any quantity , other than 141b., 281b., lewt., ljcwt,., or multiples of lewt., net weight, t Extended powers are claimed under the 3 regulations to deal with weighing and measuring appliances. These are set out in detail, together with the margin of error which is to be allowed. The regulations bring tho Dominion in these matters in liDe with New South Waies ' and South Africa, and in most cases with ; Great Britain and other countries. Having reviewed the Act and tho draft regulations to be issued under it, the 1 Chamber of Commerce has notified the j chief inspector by letter of its support and approval, and has expressed its j gratitude for the opportunity of expressing an opinion. In one or two respects 5 the chamber suggests that a modification 1 should bo made in order to minimise any 1 inconvenience that might ensue during , the transition period, j For instance, it is suggested that all f paints should be exempted from sale by " net weight until at least 12 months from ' the gazetting of the regulations, as many " painters have large stocks on hand packed 5 in a manner which does not comply with " the Act. Manures and fertilisers are J also recommended for completo exemp- ' tion. It is felt that in the case of " ullaged or broken stocks or bags of seed » the enclosure in the packet of a slip of ' paper stating the net weight should bo ' sufficient compliance with the Act. j Standardised Milk Bottles. 3 A postponement of twelve instead of six ) months is proposed by the _ chamber in - connection with tho regulations for the p standardisation of packages and milk - bottles. It is, claimed that six months' r notice is insufficient to enable traders to dispose of present stocks, and the case 3 is quoted of bottles, which, owing to the t protection afforded to local industry by ,- the Government, have to be purchased r locally. Because the bottle-making industry is carried on on such a small scale in New Zealand, only about two months ' of the year are set aside by local manufacturers for the making of green glass bottles, and they devote the remaining months to making amber bottles. The result is that users of green bottles aro obliged to purchase 12 months' stocks at • a time, and the chamber is advised that such stocks have just been purchased, -with the result that one firm alone would bo faced with a loss running into four figures were this portion of the regulations brought into force only six months ' after gazetting. Regarding the proposed stipulations . concerning the sale of coal, the chamber r points out that there is a long established local custom in Auckland to retail : these commodities in quantities other than 1 those laid down as proposed. The coal • trade is in the habit of using cheap, s second-hand corn sacks, etc., the size of which has resulted in coal being handled ' at 12 sacks to the ton. Sacks of different sizes would require to be purchased new, and would consequently be much more expensive.