May 17, 1873.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
919 
closed as aforesaid on some one of the first five week-days 
in any week, and it is not so closed on the Saturday in the 
same week, every child, young person, or woman employed 
therein during any part of such Saturday shall be deemed 
to have been employed in manner contrary to the pro¬ 
visions of the Workshop Acts, 1867 to 1871. Subject to 
the provisions of this modification, children, young persons, 
and women may be employed in a shop on Saturdays in 
the same manner as on other days. 
(2) A Secretary of State, on proof to his satisfaction 
that the exigencies of trade require the alteration, may, 
by order published in such manner as he thinks fit, give 
permission with respect to any shop or class of shops either 
generally or in any particular place for the employment of 
young persons or women for a period not exceeding fifteen 
hours on any market-day ; provided that they are not so 
employed except between the hours of six in the morn¬ 
ing and nine in the evening; that they are not so em¬ 
ployed on more than one day in any one week ; and that 
in addition to the time otherwise allowed for meals and 
rest, they are allowed half an hour for a meal after the 
hour of five in the afternoon. 
Shops of the following kinds are excepted from the 
provisions of this Bill :—Any premises licensed for the 
sale of intoxicating liquors under the provisions of the 
Acts for the time being in force for regulating the sale of 
intoxicating liquors ; any shop in which articles of food 
are sold for consumption on the premises ; any bakehouse 
as defined by the Bakehouse Regulation Act, 1863. 
The Bill is set down for second reading on the 20th May. 
Weights and Measures (Metric System) Bill. 
The Bill to establish the Metric System of Weights and 
Measures after a fixed period, which was read a first time 
at the beginning of March, has now been issued. Sub¬ 
stantially, it appears to be the same as that introduced in 
1871. It provides that the primary standards of the metre 
and of the kilogram, verified in relation to the original 
standards at Paris, and the derived standard unit of 
capacity, the litre, containing a kilogram weight of distilled 
water at its maximun density, weighed in a vacuum, to¬ 
gether with their several multiples and parts, which are 
now in the custody of the Warden of the Standards, shall 
be the standard measures and weights of the metric 
system. It gives power to judges, etc., to order copies 
to be supplied, and extends to the metric system all pro¬ 
visions as to inspection of imperial standard weights and 
measures. 
The principal units of the metric’ system, the “ metre ” 
the unit of measures of length, the “are” the unit of the 
measure of surface, the “ litre” the unit of the measure of 
capacity, as well for liquids as for dry goods, and the 
“ gram” the unit of weight, a thousand of which shall be 
and is the “kilogram ;” with their decimal multiples and 
decimal parts, as well as the double and the half of the 
said units, are declared to be units, multiples, and sub 
multiples of the metric system. 
A table is contained in the schedule annexed, in which 
are set forth, for all commercial purposes, the equivalents 
of the weights and measures therein expressed of the 
metric system and of the imperial system respectively; 
and such table is to be used for computing, determining, 
and expressing, in imperial weights and measures, weights 
and measures of the metric system, and in metric weights and 
measures, weights and measures of the imperial system. 
Clause 7 provides that after the expiration of years 
from the passing of the Act, the imperial and all local or 
customary weights and measures shall be abolished ; and 
every person who shall sell by any denomination of weights 
and measures other than those of metric weights and 
measures, authorized by this Act, is on conviction to be 
liable to a penalty not exceeding the sum of forty shillings 
for every such sale, and it also provides that penalties 
shall be inflicted upon persons using any other denomina¬ 
tions of weights and measures in any return, price list, 
price current, or any journal or other paper containing 
price list or price current. 
From the passing of the Act, and until the use of the 
metric weights and measures shall be made compulsory, 
it proposes that the said metric weights and measures are 
to be deemed and taken to be legal weights and measures, 
and as such may be used for all purposes whatsoever. 
The second reading is set down for the 21st May. 
Adulteration of Milk. 
At the Liverpool Police Court last week Samuel Wor¬ 
thington was charged with having sold adulterated milk. 
Evidence was given by the inspector of nuisances that a 
quantity of milk, which had been purchased on the 28th 
of April on the premises occupied by the defendant, had 
been submitted to Dr. Brown, the borough analyst, who 
certified that it had been diluted by upwards of 16 per 
cent, of water. In cross-examination the witness who had 
purchased the milk admitted that he had not been served 
by the defendant, and it was contended that unless evi¬ 
dence could be given as to the intentional adulteration of 
the milk by the defendant there was no ground for a con¬ 
viction. In support of this argument the case of Core v. 
James was cited, in which it had been decided at the 
Bolton Petty Sessions to inflict a penalty of £5 on the de¬ 
fendant for having used alum in the making of bread. 
The case, however, had been carried to the Court of 
Queen’s Bench, and the conviction was quashed on the 
ground that no guilty knowledge on the part of the de¬ 
fendant had been proved. Although the action referred 
to had been taken under a different Act, it was urged 
that the same objection held good in reference to the pre¬ 
sent case. Mr. Raffles said that the Act would be useless 
if the defendant was not held responsible for what his 
wife or daughter did in a case like the present. The 
question was simply whether a man whose name appeared 
above the door of a shop was to be answerable for what 
was done by anybody who served on the premises. His 
opinion was that in such a case the occupant of a shop 
was responsible. Some curious impressions, Mr. Raffles 
further observed, had got abroad regarding milk cases. 
He had read a short time ago that water mixed with milk 
did not constitute adulteration, but how that idea came to 
be entertained he did not know. In the absence of any 
further evidence, Mr. Raffles said that he would hold the 
charge proved. A fine of 20s. and costs was imposed. 
William Simpson was summoned on a similar charge. 
In this case the milk had been purchased by one of the 
inspectors of nuisances from a shandry belonging to the 
defendant which was standing in the street. On the milk 
being analysed by Dr. Brown, it was found to contain 5 
per cent, of water. For the defence it was pointed out 
that the defendant was on his way from the station when 
the milk was purchased, and as the milk had not been 
transferred from the railway cans the defendant could not 
have had any opportunity for adulteration. In considera¬ 
tion of the quantity of water mixed in the milk being so 
small, Mr. Raffles said he thought it would be sufficient to 
dismiss the defendant with a caution .—Liverpool A Ibion _ 
Adulteration of Bread. 
At the Wandsworth Police Court a baker, of High 
Street, Barnes, was summoned for selling bread mixed 
with alum, which was injurious to the health of the 
persons eating the same. 
The Defendant said he must plead guilty. He was not 
a baker, but he kept a foreman and trusted him. The 
flour was rather fresh, and customers had complained. The 
foreman put a little alum into the bread unknown to him. 
Mr. Ingham said, primd facie, he would take it that a 
baker knew what were the ingredients of his bread. He; 
could not accept the defence unless it were proved. He 
fined defendant 20s. and 23s. costs, which included: the 
analyst’s fee of one guinea. 
