COURT NEWS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7077, 6 July 1949, Page 6

COURT NEWS

BREACHES OF PRICE REGULATIONS

FINES IMPOSED ON TWO BUSINESSES

Two businesses were involved in charges of breaches of the Price Control Regulations before Mr S. L. Paterson in the Te Awamutu Court yesterday. The first case heard was against the Te Kawa Stores for selling to a Price Control Division Inspector four boxes of matches for Is on the 15th of November, 1948 and on the same date of also selling to the Inspector a 30 ounce tin of Australian canned peaches for 2s 4d. A third charge was for selling two cans of the same brand of peaches for 4s Bd. Mr K. L. Sandford, appearing for the Price Control Division, said that the retail price of the matches should have been IOJd. The maximum retail price of the canned peaches should have been 2s 3d per can, which allowed for a 20 per cent, mark-up plus freight. The account books showed that the sale was not an isolated one but that the offences had been consistent over a long period. Mr P. S. Page, who appeared for the defendants said that the retail prices were calculated on a percentage basis which was left to the storekeeper to work out until a detailed list had been brought out. The present owners of the Te Kawa Stores had taken over the business in April or May last year and there was considerable confusion over the price of articles. The matches were sold on a sliding scale of 3d for the first box and sid for two, and so on. Mr Paterson convicted the Te Kawa Stores and fined them £5 and 12s costs on each of the three charges. Solicitor’s fees of S 3 3s for the first charge, £2 2s for the second and £1 Is for the third were also awarded against the Stores. The Quality Meat Supplies Butchery of Te Awamutu were charged with selling three pounds of corned rolled brisket of beef, Ist grade, for 3s 2d on the 4th of April to E. G. Averell.

Mr K. L. Sandford, appearing for the Price Control Division stated that the correct price for the meat was 9d per lb and an over charge of lid had been made on the sale.

Mr Fergusson had made the sale, said Mr P. S. Page, who appeared for the defendants. The business had been bought by two returned servicemen in January of this year. - Fergusson had had very little previous experience in retailing meat before becoming a partner in the business. He had made an honest mistake of selling the brisket at Is Id per lb instead of at the correct price. Prior to his sale to E. G. Averell he had sold some silverside which retailed at the price of Is Id per lb and he had inadvertently applied the same price to the brisket. Mr S. L. Paterson said that there was no excuse for the breaches. Butchers had obtained the ruling prices they wanted from the Price Tribunal a short while ago. He convicted the Quality Meat Supply Ltd and fined them £l5 plus 10s.costs and £3 3s solicitor’s fees.