11
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1978
+WE ALSO HAVE OUR NOTES AND COINS THOUGH THE LATTER ARE REPUTEDLY STILL SHORT, AND WE HAVE LONG SINCE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO OUR CENTIGRADE MEASUREMENT OF TEMPERATURE.
+SO THE REMAINING OBSTACLES IN THE PATH OF A NEW OR AMENDED WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE ARE NOT SO GREAT THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE UNDULY WEIGHED DOWN BY THEM.
+ IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET ON WITH WHATEVER MEASURES REMAIN TO BE TAKEN. I EXHORT THEM TO DO SO, NOT IN GOVERNMENT STANDARD TIME, BUT RAPIDLY, AS RAPIDLY AS IT WOULD ISSUE A BILL FOR PAYMENT AS DISTINCT FROM A BILL FOR LEGISLATION.+
MR. ALLEN LEE, WHO ALSO SERVES ON THE CONSUMER COUNCIL, SAID BECAUSE OF CONSIDERABLE INCREASES IN THE RETAIL PRICES OF FOODSTUFFS AND MANY OTHER COMMODITIES IN RECENT YEARS, THE CONSUMER HAD BEEN MADE VERY AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF BEING GIVEN
SHORT WEIGHTS AND MEASURES BY PROFITEERING RETAILERS.
QUITE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS MADE TO THE CONSUMER COUNCIL IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS WERE OF THIS NATURE. +I AM SURE THAT AS A RESULT OF THE EVER-INCREASING INFLATION RATE, SUCH COMPLAINTS WILL INCREASE CORRESPONDINGLY IN THE YEARS TO COME, HE SAID.
HE POINTED OUT IN MANY COUNTRIES, STRICT CONTROLS ON WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WERE ACCEPTED AS FUNDAMENTAL IN CONSUMER PROTECTION AND LEGISLATION REQUIRING SUCH CONTROLS WAS CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL.
THE EXISTING WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE IN HONG KONG, EVEN
IF ENFORCED DILIGENTLY, WAS FAR FROM ADEQUATE.
REALISING THIS, THE CONSUMER COUNCIL URGED THE GOVERNMENT AS EARLY AS IN JUNE 1974 TO REPLACE THE EXISTING ORDINANCE AND GAVE DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS, INCLUDING THE ONE THAT ACCURATE WEIGHING SCALES SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE IN ALL NEW TERRITORIES AND CITY DISTRICT OFFICES AND URBAN COUNCIL MARKETS.
ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY RECOGNISED THE DESIRABILITY FOR A NEW ORDINANCE, ALMOST NO PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE IN THESE FOUR-AND-A-HALF YEARS.
MR. LEE NOTED THAT IN THE GOVERNMENT'S OPINION THERE WAS NO ADVANTAGE IN INTRODUCING A NEW ORDINANCE BEFORE IT WAS IN A POSITION TO ENFORCE THE LAW. HOWEVER, HE SAID, WHEN THE CONSUMER COUNCIL ASKED FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE EXISTING LEGISLATION IN 1974, IT ALSO URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN OFFICERS IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF ITS PROVISIONS AND ADVISED THE GOVERNMENT THAT THE LACK OF PROPERLY TRAINED STAFF COULD LEAD TO PROLONGED DELAYS IN THE STRICT CONTROL OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.+
IN ANY CASE, HE ADDED, THE LACK OF PROPERLY TRAINED STAFF SHOULD NOT DELAY THE ENACTMENT OF THE NEW ORDINANCE, AS THE DATE OF ENFORCEMENT COULD BE LEFT UNTIL SUCH A TIME WHEN THERE WERE SUFFICIENT TRAINED PERSONNEL TO ENFORCE IT.
THE ADVANTAGE IN SO DOING WOULD BE THAT DURING THE INTER IM PERIOD, THE PUBLIC COULD HAVE AMPLE TIME TO BE EDUCATED FOR THE CHANGEOVER TO THE NEW LEGISLATION.
/+I AM.