No. 8/1936:

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT, 1936

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 Definitions and construction.

2 Validation of certain comparisons, etc, of weights and measures.

3 Validation, etc, of local standards.

4 Short title and citation.

SCHEDULE

AN ACT TO AUTHORISE AND VALIDATE THE USE OF CERTAIN STANDARDS IN THE CUSTODY OF THE MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE, IN LIEU OF BOARD OF TRADE STANDARDS, FOR THE COMPARISON AND VERIFICATION OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES IN PURSUANCE OF THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACTS, 1878 TO 1928, AND TO PROVIDE FOR OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO SUCH COMPARISON AND VERIFICATION.

[14th March, 1936.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS OF SAORSTÁT EIREANN AS FOLLOWS:—

1.— (1) The expression "the Minister" means the Minister for Industry and Commerce;

the expression "the Acts" means the Weights and Measures Acts, 1878 to 1928;

the word "verification" includes re-verification.

(2) The Acts and this Act shall be read and construed together, and accordingly every expression and word used in this Act to which a particular meaning is given by any of the Acts for the purposes of such Act has in this Act the meaning so given.

2.—(1) Whenever the Acts require or stipulate that any particular comparison and verification of weights and measures shall be made with Board of Trade standards, then and in every such case, notwithstanding anything contained in the Acts, any such comparison and verification made (whether before or after the passing of this Act) with the standards in the custody of the Minister and set out in the Schedule to this Act shall be and, in the case of any such comparison and verification made before the passing of this Act, be deemed always to have been a good and sufficient compliance with such requirement or stipulation and shall be and, in the case aforesaid, be deemed always to have been a valid and effective comparison and verification for the purposes of the Acts.

(2) Where any such comparison and verification with standards in the custody of the Minister as is mentioned in the next preceding sub-section of this section was or shall be made in respect of a weight or measure of which there is not an equivalent weight or measure in the custody of the Minister, such comparison and verification shall be and, if made before the passing of this Act, be deemed always to have been made validly and sufficiently for the purposes of the said sub-section if such comparison and verification is or was made by means of standards in the custody of the Minister which are multiples or aliquot parts of the said weight or measure the subject of such comparison and verification.

3.—Where, in the case of any particular local standard, there has been, at any time before the passing of this Act, or shall be during the period of two years after such passing, a failure to make a comparison or verification required by the Acts to be made in respect of such local standard, such local standard shall not cease or be deemed ever to have ceased to be a local standard by reason merely of such failure.

4.— (1) This Act may be cited as the Weights and Measures Act, 1936 .

(2) The Acts and this Act may be cited together as the Weights and Measures Acts, 1878 to 1936.

SCHEDULE

STANDARDS IN THE CUSTODY OF THE MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE.

PART I

AVOIRDUPOIS WEIGHTS

1. One brass cylindrical standard of 100 pounds avoirdupois marked with—

( a ) the weight thereof in pounds avoirdupois, and

( b ) the figures "3549" and

( c ) the words "W. & T. Avery Ltd., Birmingham," and

( d ) the letters "G. R." surmounted by a crown, and

( e ) a portcullis surmounted by the figures "1924", and

( f ) the words "Ministry of Industry and Commerce".

2. Seven gun-metal spherical standards of 56, 28, 14, 7, 4, 2, and 1 pounds avoirdupois respectively, and each marked with the weight thereof in pounds avoirdupois, the figures "1880", and (except the 7 lbs. and under standards) the words "L. Oertling, London"

3. Four gun-metal spherical standards of 8, 4, 2 and 1 ounces avoirdupois respectively, each marked with the weight thereof in ounces avoirdupois and (except the 8 oz. standard) the figures "1880".

4. Five gun-metal spherical standards of 8, 4, 2, 1, and ½ drams avoirdupois respectively, each marked with the weight thereof in drams avoirdupois, and (except the ½ dram standard) the figures "1880".

5. Five gun-metal spherical standards of 240, 120, 72, 48, and 24 grains respectively, each marked with the weight thereof in grains and all enclosed in a wooden box marked with the figures "3212".

6. Five gun-metal spherical standards of 240, 120, 72, 48, and 24 grains respectively, each marked with the weight thereof in grains and all enclosed in a wooden box marked with the figures "3213".

PART II

MEASURES OF CAPACITY

1. Eleven gun-metal cylindrical standards of bushel, half-bushel, peck, gallon, half-gallon, quart, pint, half-pint, gill, half-gill, and quarter-gill capacity respectively, and each marked with the capacity thereof, and the figures "1880" and the words "L. Oertling, London".

2. One gun-metal cylindrical standard of one-third pint capacity, marked with the capacity thereof, and the figures "9009" and the words "De Grave & Co., Ltd., London"

PART III

DECIMAL GRAIN WEIGHTS

1. Eleven brass cylindrical standards of 4000, 2000, 1000, 500, 300, 200, 100, 50, 30, 20, and 10 grains respectively, each marked with the weight thereof in grains.

2. Twelve standards of 5, 3, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, 0.03, 0.02, and 0.01 grains respectively, all enclosed in a wooden box marked with the figures "3211".

PART IV

TROY BULLION WEIGHTS

1. Twenty brass cylindrical standards of 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.1 ounces troy respectively and each marked with—

( a ) the weight thereof in ounces troy, and

( b ) except the 5 oz. and under standards, the words "Ministry of Industry and Commerce" and

( c ) the figures "3610" and

( d ) except the 10 oz. and under standards, the words "W. & T. Avery Ltd., Birmingham" (or "Birmm".), and

( e ) the letters "G. R." surmounted by a crown, and

( f ) a portcullis surmounted by the figures "1924".

2. Five brass flat standards of 0.05, 0.04, 0.03, 0.02, and 0.01 ounces, troy respectively, each marked with the weight thereof in ounces troy, the figures "3610", the letters. "G. R." surmounted by a crown, and a portcullis surmounted by the figures "1924"

3. Five platinum wire standards of 0.005, 0.004, 0.003, 0.002. and 0.001 ounces troy respectively.

PART V

APOTHECARIES WEIGHTS

1. Thirteen brass cylindrical standards of 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 ounces apothecaries, 4, 2 and 1 drachms apothecaries, and 2,1½, 1 and ½ scruples apothecaries respectively, each marked with the weight thereof in ounces, drachms, or scruples (as the case may be) apothecaries, the figures "3545", the letters "G. R." surmounted by a crown, and a portcullis surmounted by the figures "1924".

2. Six German silver wire standards of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 grains respectively.

3. One aluminium flat standard of one-half grain, marked with the weight thereof in grains, the figures "3545", the letters "G. R." surmounted by a crown, and a portcullis surmounted by the figures "1924".

PART VI

APOTHECARIES MEASURES

1. Two glass cylindrical standards of 10 fluid ounces and 8 fluid drachms capacity respectively, each sub-divided and marked with the letters and figures "D. I. C., S. E. 28" (enclosed in a circle) and the figures "3684".

2. Four glass cylindrical standards of 4 fluid ounces, 16 fluid drachms, 1 fluid drachm, and 30 minims capacity respectively, each sub-divided and marked with the figures "3684", the letters "G. R." surmounted by a crown, the figures "1925" surmounted by a portcullis.

PART VII

YARD MEASURE

One brass standard of the limit gauge form, sub-divided into feet, inches, and twelfths, sixteenths, and hundredths of an inch, and one brass rod standard, both the said standards being marked with—

( a ) the figures "3655", and

( b ) the words "Standard Yard", and

( c ) the words "Ministry of Industry and Commerce", and

( d ) except the brass rod, the words "W. & T. Avery Ltd., London" and

( e ) the letters "G. R." surmounted by a crown, and

( f ) a portcullis surmounted by the figures "1924

PART VIII

INCH MEASURE

One brass bevelled standard sub-divided into tenths and hundredths of an inch and marked with—

( a ) the figures "3537", and

( b ) the figure and word "1 inch", and

( c ) the letters "G. R." surmounted by a crown, and

( d ) a portcullis surmounted by the figures "1924".