§ Mr. HIGHAMasked the Home Secretary if he is aware of the fact that Police Court magistrates are imposing minimum fines upon offenders under the Food Order, particularly in regard to short weight; and what steps he is taking to see that food profiteers are dealt with in such a way that the public may be protected from retailers who overcharge them or sell them goods under weight?
§ Mr. SHORTTNo minimum fine is fixed by law, the amount of fine being left entirely to the discretion of the magistrate. I have no power to overrule the discretion of the magistrates in this matter, nor have I any reason to think that the punishments they impose are, generally speaking, inadequate to secure the enforcement of the Food Orders.