CLAUSE 5.—(Provisions applicable to the sale of butchers' meat.) (Hansard, 9 December 1926)

§ Mr. H. WILLIAMS
I beg to move, in page 3, line 8, after the word "weight" to insert the words "on which the purchase price is based."
This Amendment, together with some others which follow on the Paper are intended to deal with the problem of evaporation. It often happens that there is a period between the ordering of meat and its delivery during which the weight varies, and the object of this and the other Amendments is to meet that case.

§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER
I believe these words are quite unnecessary, but if the hon. Member desires to have them in, I do not think that there is any objection.

§ Mr. WILLIAMS
I would like to see the words inserted.

§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER
I beg to move, in page 3, line 11, at the end, to add the words Provided that where at the request of the purchaser the meat is boned, trimmed, or subjected to any other process involving loss of weight before delivery; and the bones or other material thus removed are not delivered with the meat, such statement as aforesaid shall include a statement of the net weight of the meat (after such boning, trimming, or other process), as well as the net weight on which the purchase price is based. 2415 I gave an undertaking on Second Reading that I would put down an Amendment to deal with cases of boned meat. The Amendment provides that the butcher should state two weights, namely, the weight of the meat unboned and the weight of the meat as boned. That is what my Amendment does. I was also asked whether I was prepared to deal similarly with meat bought, but retained for subsequent delivery. The House agreed that this was quite a reasonable proposition, and I am therefore prepared to accept the Amendment to my Amendment which stands on the Paper, the effect of which will be to treat meat which is held for later delivery at the request of the purchaser in exactly the same way as it is proposed to treat the boned meat.

§ Mr. H. WILLIAMS
I beg to move, as an Amendment to the proposed Amendment, in line 3, after the word "meat," to insert the words or where at the request of the purchaser delivery of the meat is deferred. This Amendment will largely meet the point which we have in view, though I see certain difficulties in the method adopted by the President of the Board of Trade of having two different weights in respect of the same article.

§ Mr. WILLIAMS
I beg to move, as a further Amendment to the proposed Amendment, in line 4, to leave out the words "(after such boning, trimming or other process)," and to insert instead thereof the words "as sent out for delivery."
This makes the provision rather more definite, and brings the matter under control.

§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER
I am prepared to accept the Amendment.
Further Amendment to proposed Amendment agreed to.

§ Mr. MARCH
I am not quite clear as to what we are doing in connection with 2416 this matter. It seems to me that the President of the Board of Trade has tried to do something to meet the requirements of the general public. But these variations show that the public are not going to get all that they expected from the Bill. I take it we are here dealing with a case wherein a request has been made by the purchaser to have meat boned and trimmed, but it is not stated whether or not the butcher is compelled to send the bone or bones and the trimmings, if any, along with the joint. [Laughter.] I can understand hon. Gentlemen opposite laughing. They do not require the bones, but unfortunately people in the district which I represent often have to purchase bones from the butcher in order to stew them down to provide a meal for a family when they are unable to purchase meat. If hon. Members opposite had their way these people would never have the money to purchase meat. [HON. MEMBERS: "No!"] The wages which you pay are not enough to buy meat.

The CHAIRMAN
I think that is beside the point.

§ Mr. MARCH
Perhaps some of the people who were so anxious to laugh will not laugh so freely when they understand the position. They do not understand the economic circumstances of these working people. It is often useful for the purchaser of a joint to have the bone taken out and, usually, the butcher takes care of the bones and the trimmings in his own shop and they are sold again to other people who cannot afford to buy meat. Should there not be something in this Bill to compel the butcher to send the bones along with the meat which the customer has purchased?

§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER
That is entirely a question of contract. If the contract is that the meat is to be boned and the bones and trimmings sent along with the meat, then the butcher is under a legal liability to carry out that contract, but that is not the kind of thing with which this Bill deals. What it does do is to insist that the purchaser shall know he is getting the genuine weight and therefore it is provided that the butcher should provide a statement first of the weight of the meat before boning and secondly, of the weight after it has been boned.