Milk Vendor Fined For Delivering Short Measure

Taranaki Daily News, 1 September 1942, Page 4

Milk Vendor Fined For Delivering Short Measure

For delivering milk short of the quantity demanded of and represented by him Walter L. J. Hale, milk vendor, was fined £2 (costs 10s) by Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday. Mr. H. St. L. Reeves, who appear ed for Hale, entered a technical plea of guilty. Mr. G, G. Atkinson conducted the prosecution for the Labour Department. Following receipt of a considerable number of complaints from residents in the Brooklands suburb about short measure he made an inspection on August 4, said Mr. Atkinson. He found Hale coming. out of Mr. C. Wilson's residence and asked him to go back ' while he measured the quantity of milk delivered there. The amount which had been demanded of and represented by Hale was two quarts and the measurement showed that i-t was one gill or quarter of a pint under measure. They tnen went to the customer previously served by Hale and found that the quantity there was also slightly under measure. Asked for his reason Hale had then said that it was difficult to get milk, and that if he gave short measure sometimes he probably made it up on other ocqgsions. Mr. Atkinson said that since the zoning scheme started complaints about short measure had come from various parts of the town. He knew that in many cases vendors employed young boys who were often irresponsible. Some of these boys poured milk straight from the can without measuring it. He got in touch with Mr., W. P. Okey, secretary of the Milk Vendors' Association, and members Were circularised to the effect that they would be held responsible if the boys were giving wrong measure. It was some weeks later that the offences were committed by Hale. Mr. Reeves said he had advised 'Hale to defend the matter under all circumstances because of the fact that the milk measured at Wilson's had been taken from the container. When Hale asked the woman there if she had used any of it she said, "Yes, a little," but she told Mr. Atkinson that none had been used. Hale had been delivering milk for years and his reputation was so good that before the zoning scheme started he could not supply the number of customrs who wanted his milk. He had said that certainly at times he might have a shortage in his delivery. He delivered with a dip and it ytas well known that on no two occasions would dipping milk give the same measure, sometimes it would be over and sometimes under. Was Hale, having had notice, going to run the risk of prosecution and also of being told by the association that he would no longer be allowed to deliver milk because of his misconduct? It was hardly likely he would risk his whole future. submitted Mr. Reeves. Hale had said that if the milk delivered at Wilson's was that much short it would have been done inadvertently and not deliberately. He submitted that the court should not regard it as a serious matter, for it had not been proved that the short measure amounted to practice on his part. The fact that there was no suggestion he had been doing it before had to be taken into account. The magistrate said he could not overlook the fact that Hale had had a warning and that he did admit the practice of giving short quantities. saying that he made it up on other occasions.