NOT UP TO STANDARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19744, 17 September 1927, Page 16

NOT UP TO STANDARD.

iTHE SALE OF LIMEWATER.

RETAILERS PROSECUTED. WHOLESALERS ADMIT MISTAKE. £BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] OAMARU. Friday. A case of interest to retailers was heard in the Magistrate's Court at Oamanij when tho North Otago Farmers' Co-operative Association was charged by Inspector Fischer of the Health Department with a breach of the Foods and Drugs Act, in selling limewater that contained 72 per cent, more water than was allowed by law. Mr. A. G. Creagh, who appeared for the prosecution, submitted the report of the Government analyst, and said this spoke for itself.

Mr. Pollock, for the defence, stated that Lis clients had acted in an honest manner. .They had received a supply of limewater in sealed bottles from the firm of Marshalis, Limited, Dunedin, and had sold the .water in good faith. If they had desired to analyse the water it would have been necessary to break every bottle. The firm of Marshails, Limited, had written to the defendants stating that a mistake bad been made in the bottling of the water before it was matured, and they would take all tha responsibility for the mistake. Mr. Pollock said the law that permitted an incocent person to be prosecuted would appear to be faulty. Mr. Creagh remarked that the Act provided for a warranty being obtained by Tetailers.

Tha magistrate said the law was not faulty, although a hardship might have been created. He sympathised with retailers in these matters. He would like to know if the wholesale firm was being prosecuted. Mr. Creagh said he could not make a dofinite statement on this point. Mr. Fischer stated that he had secured several samples of limewatei in the town, but this was tho only one not up to the standard.

The magistrate said he would adjourn tho case for a week to ascertain if the department intended to prosecute * the wholesalers.