2
SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 1990
"AS REGARDS THE NATURE OF THOSE COMPLAINTS, 75 ALLEGED THE TRADERS USING INACCURATE WEIGHING EQUIPMENT WHICH WERE INVARIABLY THE 'CHING' OR SLANTED DIAL SPRING BALANCE, THE TWO TYPES OF EQUIPMENT MOST COMMONLY USED IN THE RETAIL TRADE, HE SAID.
11
WEIGHING
MR LI SAID INVESTIGATIONS INTO 76 CASES HAD BEEN COMPLETED.
THE FINDINGS SHOWED THAT 45 COMPLAINTS WERE NOT SUBSTANTIATED WHILE THE OTHER 31 CASES WERE ESTABLISHED WHICH RESULTED IN WARNING BRING SERVED ON THE OWNERS OF THE BUSINESS IN 20 CASES AND INSTITUTION OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST 11 TRADERS.
"OF THE CASES DECIDED FOR PROSECUTION, SIX HAVE BEEN CONCLUDED WITH THE IMPOSITION OF A TOTAL FINE OF $17,000, RANGING FROM $1,000 TO $5,000," MR LI SAID.
UNDER THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE, THE MAXIMUM PENALTY
IS A FINE OF $20,000 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR SIX MONTHS.
IN ADDITION TO INVESTIGATIONS IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS, MR LI SAID, 70 SPOT CHECKS WERE CONDUCTED AT PETROL FILLING STATIONS, GROCERY SHOPS AND VARIOUS FOOD RETAILERS' PREMISES.
DISCREPANCY WAS FOUND IN FOUR CASES WHICH RESULTED IN WARNING BEING GIVEN TO SIX TRADERS AND PROSECUTION RECOMMENDED AGAINST ONE.
MR LI ADDED THAT A SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED DURING THE PERIOD ON THE ACCURACY OF THE NET WEIGHT OF 49 BRANDS OF PACKAGED RICE ON SALE IN THE LOCAL MARKET.
THE RESULT SHOWED THAT ALTHOUGH INADEQUATE PACKAGES EXISTED 39 BRANDS, THE DEFICIENCY DID NOT EXCEED THE TOLERANCE LEVEL..
IN
3,
A SIMILAR SURVEY WAS ALSO CONDUCTED AT 127 RETAILERS SUPERMARKETS AND DEPARTMENT STORES ON THE ACCURACY OF NET WEIGHT OF PREPACKED FROZEN MEAT AND POULTRY.
"OF THE 153 BRANDS CHECKED, 81 WERE FOUND INADEQUTE THE DEFICIENCY WAS WITHIN TOLERANCE HE SAID.
P
BUT AGA IN
MR LI EXPLAINED THAT SINCE WEIGHING AND MEASURING EQUIPMENT COULD NOT BE 100 PER CENT ACCURATE, 1T WAS NECESSARY FOR THE DEPARTMENT, LIKE SIMILAR AUTHORITIES IN OTHER COUNTRIES, TO SET A TOLERABLE ERROR LEVEL TO DECIDE WHETHER AN OFFENDER SHOULD
OR PROSECUTED.
+
MR LI SAID THAT IN AN EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE CONSUMERS WEIGHTS AND MEASURES MALPRACTICES POSTERS PUBLICISING A HOTLINE WOULD BE DISPLAYED AT ALL MARKET PLACES THROUGHOUT NEXT MONTH.
"CONSUMERS WHO SUSPECT THEY HAVE BEEN MEASURE SHOULD CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT ON TEL. HOURS OR ON TEL. 8523185 OUTSIDE OFFICE HOURS,
GIVEN
14
BE WARNED
TO REPORT COMPLAINT HONG KONG
SHORT WEIGHT OR 7146146 DURING OFFICE
HE SAID.
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