SHORT WEIGHT AT BREAKFAST.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12496, 24 March 1909, Page 4

SHORT WEIGHT AT BREAKFAST.

HOUSEHOLDERS' NEGLECTED

RIGHTS,

(By a Barrister.)

Women would be much surprised to find how regularly how many of them fail to receive full value for their "housekeeping .money." Take, for instance, the purchase of bread. Probably not one woman in twenty even weighs, or even asks the weight of, the loaves which the baker delivers at her- door. Certainly not one in a hundred ever calls upon him to make use ,of the scale and weights, which, according to the law of the land, every baker's man must carry in his cart. . -•-.

Two old Bread Acts of the time of George IV and William IV.. require all bread, except French rolls and fancy bread, to be sold "by weight." A short time ago a lady found that the loaves which, her baker sent her were invariably 3oz or so less than 21b in weight.

She made no complaint, but had her kitchen scales and weights carefully .tested^ ;and for three months caused the weight of every loaf that o-itired the, house to be carefully noted. At the end of the quarter the baker's account was presented. Pronutiy the lady worked out the quantit-. of bread of which she had been dedffrauded, and sent a cheque for the balance, suggesting that the baker might sue her . hi the County Court for the remainder of his account. It should be understood that a loaf may be of any weight that the baker agrees to sell and the customer agrees to buy. But if no declaration or statement be made as to the weight, Courts of law recognise the custom tnat loaves bought. for, say, 2*d, or •so. should be two-pound loaves, and if a loaf weighs less thaii 21b, the Courts - no f-d" that this fact is presumptive evidence that the sale is not a sale bj weight, and convict the baker. Not many householder!} care to sumf ir Daker s, but if purchasers of bread would occasionally take the trouble to exercise their right of requiring loaves to be weighed in their presence before delivery there is no doubt they would be performing a real service both to themselves and to many of the poorer members of the community.;. . Besides bread, the only commodity in respect of which the Weights and Measures Acts impose a penalty for short weight is coal. There must be weights and scales o:i every coal cart, and any purchaser of coal is entitled to have his coal weighed before he accepts delivery ■•• • '".;

: As a matter of .practice, however it is found to be the rarest thing for the scales on coal carts to be used at the request- of any purchaser, their use being almost entirely at the demand of the county and borough inspectors of weights and measures. — "N.Z. Times-" . - ,