§ 37. Mr. Keelingasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that his standards department requires that jars of honey shall be labelled 1 lb. 497 net, not 1 lb. nett; and whether he will stop the waste of time and labour involved in this controversy.
§ 42. Captain Crookshankasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a firm of millers in Gainsborough has been instructed by him to alter the description on their paper bags from 31bs. nett to 31b. net, whereas the documents which they receive from the Ministry of Food use the spelling nett; and whether he will now instruct his inspectors to refrain from such petty interferences.
§ Mr. KeelingIf the officials of the standards department have got time to spare for this sort of nonsense, ought not their number to be reduced?
Mr. WilsonThe trouble was that officials were operating in accordance with the precedent set in 1927. I have been into the matter. It was raised by the right hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Gainsborough (Captain Crookshank), and I am quite satisfied that it is not necessary to do what they are doing in this respect.
§ Captain CrookshankAs this arose in my constituency, may I say to the right hon. Gentleman how much obliged I am for his apology? May I take it that this particular practice on the part of his inspectors will stop not only in Lincolnshire but throughout the country?
Mr. WilsonI said that Inspectors of Weights and Measures "have been instructed accordingly," and that covers the whole country.