WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE, 1885

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ORDINANCE, 1885

No. 2 of 1885
AnOrdinance to make provision with respect to weights
and measures.
[1st April, 1885.]

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Weights. and
Measures Ordinance, 1885.

2.--(1) The Governor shall cause to be deposited and safely
kept in the Treasury such weights and measures of the standards
in use in the United Kingdom, and of such Chinese weights
and measures, as are specified in the Schedule, and the weights
and measures so deposited shall he the standard weights and
measures of this Colony.
(2) The Gover nor shall cause to be made copies and models
of the several weights and measures so deposited, and such
copies and models shall be submitted to the Treasurer, who
shall cause the same to. be verified, and, if approved, stamped
or marked in such manner as the Treasurer may determine to
show.that the same have been verified and approved.
(3) Copies and models, after being so verified and approved,
shall he deposited with the Com ' missioner of Police, who
shall keep the same for the purposes of -reference as hereinafter
directed.
(4) If any copies or models so deposited are lost, destroyed,
defaced, or injured, they shall be replaced by others of the sarrie
weight or measure duly verified and approved.

3.-(1) Any person wishing to compare any weight or
measure with the copy or model deposited with the Com-
missioner of Police shall he allowed access thereto at reasonable
times to be appointed by the Commissioner of Police.

(2) The comparison shall be made in the presence of the
Commissioner of Police or a Deputy Commissioner, who,
on being satisfied that the weight or measure brought for
comparison corresponds truly with the copy or model, shall
stamp or mark the same in such manner as the Treasurer may
determine to show that the same has been compared and
approved.

As amended by Law Rev. Ord., 1937.





(3) Such person shall defray all expenses of conveying his
weight or measure to or from the Central Police Station, or
shall deposit with the examiner of weights and measures one
dollar if such weight or measure is on shore, or two dollars if
it is on board a ship in the harbour, to defray such expenses.

4. The Governor . shall appoint proper persons to be
examiners of weights and measures, and may at pleasure remove
any person so appointed.

5. It shall be the duty of an examiner of weights and
measures to enter the business premises of any person who sells
goods by weight or measure, and to examine any weight,
measure, scale, balance, steelyard, weighing-yard, or weighing-
machine, found on such premises, and to seize any weight,
measure, scale, balance, steelyard, weighing-yard, or weighing-
machine which appears to him to be false or unjust.

6. Every person who-

(i) falsifies or wilfully injures any copy or model of a
standard weight or measure deposited with.the Commissioner
of Police; or

(2) uses, or has in his possession for use, any weight,
measure, scale, balance, steelyard, weighing-yard, or weighing-7
machine which is false or unjUst,

shall upon summary conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding
two hundred dollars in addition to any other penalty or
liability to which such person may be subject in respect of such
offence.

7. Where any fraud is. wilfully committed in using any
weight, measure, scale, balance, steelyard, weighing-yard, or
weighing-machine, the person committing such fraud, and every
person party to the fraud, shall upon summary conviction be
liable to a fine not exceeding two hundred dollars, and further,
the weight, measure, scale, balance, steelyard, weighing-yard,
or weighing-machine shall be liable to be forfeited.

8. Every person Yho wilfully or knowingly makes or sells,
or causes to be made or sold, any false or unjust weight,
measure, scale, balance, steelyard, weighing~yard, or weighing-
machine, shall upon summary conviction be liable to a fine not

As amended hy Law Rev. Ord., 1937.





exceeding two hundred dollars, or, in the case of a second
or any subsequent offence, to a ~ne not exceeding five hundred
dollars.

9. All weights and measures duly seized by an examiner of
weights and measures shall be forfeited to the Crown.

10. Nothing in this Ordinance shall apply to the buying
or selling or dealing in medicines., or precious metals, or precious
stones, or to, weights or measures employed in relation thereto.

11. Measures of length, if made of wood or bamboo, shall
(except yard measures imported from the United Kingdom) be
tipped at the ends with metal to the satisfaction of the examiner
of weights and measures, or, in case of doubt, of a magistrate,
whose decision shall be final.

SCHEDULE. Is. 2.]
TABLE OF ENGLISH WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Weights. Measures- of length.
Avoirdupois. Troy. 1Yard, divided into feet and
4 Ounces. 1/10 Ounce. inches.
8 do. 2/10 do. Measures of capacity.
1 Pound. 3/10 do. 1 Half Gill. 1 Half Gallon.
2 Pounds. 5/10 do. 1 Gill. 1 Gallon.
4 do. 1 do. 1 Half Pint. 1 Peck.
7 do. 2 Ounces. 1 Pint. 1 Half Bushel.
14 do. 1 Quart. 1 Bushel.
28 do. The contents of each ineasure to
56 do. be not heaped, but flat and
level with the rim of the
vessel.

TABLE OF CHINESE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Weights.
1 Fan (candareen) = 0.0133 ounce avoirdupois.
1 Tsin (mace) = 0.133 do. do.
1 Leung (tael) 1 1/3 do. do.
1 Kan (catty) 1 1/3 pounds do.
1 Tam (picul) 133 1/3 do. do.
and the following: 2, 3, 4, 5, taels; 10, 17, 20, 30, 40, 50, taels;
100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 700, taels.

Measures of length.
1 Chek (foot) equal to 141 English inches, divided into 10 tsun
or inches, and each inch into 10 fan or tenths.
[Originally No. 8 of 1885. No. 18 of 1929. Law Rev. Ord., 1937.] Short title. Deposit of standard weights and measures in Treasury, and of copies and models with Commissioner of Police. Schedule. Verification of weight or measure with copy or model. Examiners of weights and measures. Duty and powers of examiner. Falsifying weight, measure, etc. Penalty for fraud in use of weight, measure, etc. Penalty on sale of false weight, measure, etc. Forfeiture of weights and measures. Saving as to weights or measures for dealing in medicines, etc. Wooden measures of length to be tipped with metal.

[Originally No. 8 of 1885. No. 18 of 1929. Law Rev. Ord., 1937.] Short title. Deposit of standard weights and measures in Treasury, and of copies and models with Commissioner of Police. Schedule. Verification of weight or measure with copy or model. Examiners of weights and measures. Duty and powers of examiner. Falsifying weight, measure, etc. Penalty for fraud in use of weight, measure, etc. Penalty on sale of false weight, measure, etc. Forfeiture of weights and measures. Saving as to weights or measures for dealing in medicines, etc. Wooden measures of length to be tipped with metal.

https://oelawhk.lib.hku.hk/items/show/1411

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