CLAUSE 1.—(Certain dealings with sand or ballast to be by weight or by the cubic yard.) (Hansard, 10 June 1936)

§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of TRADE (Dr. Burgin)

I beg to move, in page 2, line 21, at the end, to insert: (2) No person shall (whether on his own behalf or on behalf of another person) sell, agree to sell, or agree to carry any sand or ballast by the cubic yard, unless the volume of the sand or ballast either is a cubic yard or an integral number of cubic yards or is any such fraction of a cubic yard as may be prescribed or a multiple of such a fraction. During the Committee stage of this Bill a number of extremely useful suggestions were made by hon. Members, and the Amendments—12 in number—which have been tabled in the name of the Government are destined to carry out the suggestions that were made. The hon. Member for Finsbury (Mr. Woods), who has had considerable experience and practical knowledge with regard to the removal of sand and ballast, was anxious to see that it should be possible, when selling sand or ballast by the cubic yard, to sell a quantity between one and two yards, and the object of the Amendment I am moving is to make it possible to sell a quantity of 1½ cubic yards. The Amendment puts the matter beyond doubt, because it makes it clear that sales by the cubic yard must be in quantities either of an integral number of cubic yards or such fraction as may be prescribed in regulations. If the Amendment is adopted it is the Board's intention to prescribe as a fraction, half a cubic yard. That will meet the wish 358 generally expressed in. the Committee, that small purchasers of gravel, for the purpose of making up a drive or a path, should be protected equally with those who make large scale purchases.