§ 62. Mr. FREDERICK ROBERTSasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that supplies of petrol procurable in tins from retail places of business are frequently found by purchasers to be short in measure; have local inspectors of weights and measures authority to measure the contents of petrol tins on offer for sale; and, if so, will he take steps to have periodical examinations made?
The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of TRADE (Mr. Bridge-man)I have been asked to answer this question. The duty of enforcing the Weights and Measures Acts rests with local authorities. At present inspectors of weights and measures have no power to measure the contents of petrol tins on 1101 offer for sale, when, as is usually the case, the cans are not denominated measures. The Select Committee on Short Weight, which reported on 15th July, 1914, recommended that short weight or measure generally in the retail sale of goods should be made a statutory offence, and this proposal is under consideration by the Board of Trade with a view to legislation.