§ 61. Mr. Hastingsasked the President of the Board of Trade the absorption margin of water in coke for domestic consumption allowed by his weights and measures inspectors; what evidence he has on the maximum effect on weight liable to be produced in household coke by the presence of water; and what action is taken to protect the public from paying for water when buying coke.
§ Mr. H. StraussThere are no statutory requirements in the Weights and Measures Acts relating to the sale of coke. A number of local Acts, however, contain provisions dealing with the sale of coke and these invariably make the wilful damping of coke an offence. These local Acts do not prescribe a limit to the amount of moisture which may be present in coke supplied for domestic consumption. The amount of water present depends upon a number of factors including the manufacturing process and the conditions of storage. Precise figures of the maximum absorption of water by coke are not available in the Board of Trade.