HEAVY PENALTY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 6

HEAVY PENALTY

FOR HEAVILY WATERED MILK

NAME TO BE PUBLISHED, (By Telorra-ph.—Pros* 'Aisooln-U08.3 Auckland., April 21. "Watering milk is theft just as much as trading off a forged £1& bank note. It is deceiving people into buying water at 3Jd. a quart," stated Mr. .Fraser, S.M., this morning in imposing a most unusual and exemplary penalty on Thomas Blake, who admitted two charges, viz., that on March 10 lie sold milk containing a substnuco prohibited by tho regulations, viz., water. Tho prosecution stated that, when the defendant was intercepted by tho inspector ho said. "Oh, I bvo tlio game," and hurriedly drovo off. Tlio inspector followed and, after friends of defendant's had tried to stop him, ho found tho cart standing on an isolated roadway. One can of milk standing besido it, and ono was lying in a ditch. Defendant had then disappeared. The inspector managed to get samples from both cans. Tbo one in the ditch had 24 per cent, of water iri it, and there was 23 per cent, in the other. "It is perfectly clear that ho fled from the inspector with a guilty eon* science, and tried to bluff the inspe»>* tor into refraining from taking a sample," said His Worship, who, after pointing out that watering milk was just plain theft, added that it was his duty to protect the public from such frauds as this. Magistrates were eharv of exercising the full penalty under the Act whero thero was a possibility of accident or error, said His Worship, but, in this case, where the act was deliberate, ho was going to do what he had never done before. Befendant would be convicted and fined £20 and £3 17s. costs, and ah order would be made under Section 19 of the Act that the conviction, name, and occupation of tho person convicted, together with his place of business and the. nature- of the offence and penalty, shoflld be published bv tho. Health Officer in -the Auckland "Star" and tho '*New Zealand Herald." "I shall .do the same in every case ■where a milk vendor deliberately breaks tho Act., If I can do anything to keep the milk supply of this city ,as it should be I shall do it," coraiuijed His Worship.