LABELLING BUTTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19050, 1 July 1924, Page 8

LABELLING BUTTER

At tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr. Barton S.M.,’e. F. O. Brien, manager of the Enterprise Stores, was charged with selling butter. the label of which did not contain a statement of the name and address o£ theseller thereof, or of the owner of the rights to manufacture, or of the rights o£ any of them, contrary to the regulations under the Foods and Drugs Act. The Health Inspector, (Mr. Pargeter), said that since 1913 the Department had evperienced considerable difficulty in enforcing the regulations in connection with the sale of butter. They not only had to attend to private offenders, but also the factories. Tho Department had had no means of getting the proper offender in this case as there was no name and address of the manufacturers on thi label, and besides the manager oi the stores had not volunteered the information. Although the flrm had not been in business very long, he was certain they were aware that they were committing a breach of the regulations by selling butter the label of which did not contain the manufacturers’ name. He had had no option but to prosecute the stores in this case. Mr. Slipper, in entering a plea of guilty for the manager of the stores, doubted whether the defendant had ever got any circular in regard to the matter from the Health Department. The butter was manufactured by a Hamilton company, and quantities of it were sold in Auckland. The butter had been analysed and had been proved of good quality. Mr. Slipper contended that the offence was only a technical one, and alleged that there had been “some work under the surface’’ in this case. The Magistrate remarked that he was satisfied there were two things for him to take into consideration in fixing a penalty. In the first place the analysis of the butter showed that it was of good standard, and secondly the case had disclosed the real offender, who should be brought before the court. The defendant would be fined 10s, and ordered to pay costs, and the analyst’s fee, (10s).