1907.] Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act. 



673 



be called in the first place to the requirements of the Act, and 

 in the event of his persistently refusing or neglecting to give 

 such invoice, the Local Authority should communicate with 

 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries with a view to the 

 consideration of the question whether proceedings should be 

 instituted. 



Prevention of Fraud. 



In view of the provisions of the Act relating to criminal pro- 

 cedure. Local Authorities should institute inquiries with a view 

 to ascertain whether any fraud exists within their districts in 

 connection with the sale of fertilisers or feeding stuffs. 



For this purpose all reasonable facilities for having samples 

 analysed by the Agricultural Analyst should be given to pur- 

 chasers. The fee payable by purchasers who send samples to 

 the Agricultural Analyst is to be fixed by the Local Authority ; 

 and the Board think that the importance of ascertaining the 

 character of the trade carried on in their district would justify 

 a Local Authority in arranging that for a specified period 

 purchasers may send samples to the Agricultural Analyst free 

 of charge. 



But however great the facilities that are given for analysis, it 

 is not likely that the poorer and less educated buyers, or those 

 who purchase manures and feeding stuffs in small quantities, 

 will send any considerable number of samples to the Analyst, 

 In order to ascertain whether traders who supply such persons 

 are dealing fraudulently, it will be necessary that the Official 

 Sampler should take the initiative in procuring samples of the 

 articles supplied to them. Such persons will not readily co- 

 operate with the Official Sampler unless the sampling is carried 

 out without the knowledge of the seller ; and it will therefore 

 generally be necessary in these cases to take samples without 

 communication of the fact to the seller. 



The Act provides (Sec. 3 (4) (b)) that Agricultural Analysts 

 shall report to the Board in the prescribed manner the results 

 of analyses of samples which have been divided into three parts, 

 of which two are sent to the Agricultural Analyst and one to 

 the seller ; but it does not oblige the Agricultural Analyst to 

 report on other samples. It would therefore seem desirable that 

 arrangements should be made with Agricultural Analysts by 



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