PETERSFIELD.
Agent—Miss DUPLOCK.
PETTY SESSIONS.—On Tuesday—present Hon. J. J. Carnegie (Chairman), J. Martineau, Esq., J. H. Waddington Esq., Sir A. Macdonald, Bart., J. Bonham Carter, Esq., M.P., and G. Forbes, Esq.
— James Winscom, grocer, Petersfield, was charged by Mr. Superintendent Fey with having in his possession sundry false weights and also a false weighing-machine.—Thomas Fey deposed: On Tuesday, Nov. 23, I was inspecting weights and measures, and went to the shop and store of James Winscom. I was in the act of arranging the weight, when I saw him stoop down to one of the scales with a knife in his hand. I told him I could not allow anything of the sort; that I must inspect them as they were. I put the scales upon the beam, and one of them was 10½lb. heavier than the other. Looking under one of the scales I found the piece of iron (produced) tied up close under the scale, so as not to be visible to anyone unless he looked under for it. I cut off the iron, and found the scales then balanced within two ounces. I have since weighed the piece of iron; it is 2lb 10 oz. I found the weights in the store correct. I then went into the shop, and found on the counter the weights which I now produce—viz., one 2lb. brass weight, which is 2 drams short; one 1lb. brass weight, 1½ dram short; these two have the county stamp on them. I also found 1lb. weight not stamped by me, which was 4½ drams short; one ½lb. iron weight, 2½ drams short, not stamped; one ¼lb. iron weight, 1½ dram short, and one 2 oz., 1 dram short.—By the Bench: Defendant sells salt and salt meat.— Cross-examined by Defendant—Was not that piece of iron dragging on the ground? No. Did you not ask me how you could raise the tackle so as to clear the ground? No. Did I not tell you the iron was placed there for a purpose? No doubt it was, I don't say it was not placed there for a purpose. Did I not tell you the scales would not balance till the iron was removed? I think you did. P.C. William Painter corroborated the previous testimony. Defendant in reply to the charge, stated that he could only account for the deficiency of the weights by supposing that as they were used for weighing salt and salted goods they must have absorbed the salt, and being cleaned once a week they had gradually lost weight. He had been in Petersfield three years, his weights had been repeatedly tried and always before found correct, and even now those weights which were used only for dry goods were correct. With regard to the scales, he had had occasion to balance a lard crock, and had used the piece of iron for that purpose; and as he was going from home and thought his wife might have occasion to weigh the lard before his return, he tied a piece of iron to the scale to prevent its getting displaced. He called Peter Parker, who deposed that he was in the habit of killing and cutting out hogs for defendant and also weighing them, he never saw any iron fixed to the scale nor anything to cause an uneven balance; the weighing is done in the store, which is open to the street, and parties come in to see the hogs weighed, the last pig I weighed was on the 20th November. Samuel Dixon deposed—I have many times been authorised to see pigs weighed at Mr. Winscom’s, and my practice has always been to see the scales balanced before the weighing took place. I suppose I have seen a dozen pigs weighed, and never saw any iron or anything else that would cause an uneven balance; the last pig I saw weighed was on the 6th of November; the scales balanced then. Defendant here asked permission to put some further questions to Mr. Superintendent Fey, which was granted by the Bench. He said: Fey, have you not examined other weights in the town?—I have. Have you not found others deficient?—I have. Have you marked them, and told the parties to bring them to you and get them adjusted?—I have. Did you give me the same opportunity?—No; because I have a scale to go by, and the deviations in your case were so great that I was not at liberty to take that course. The magistrates consulted for a short time, and the Chairman, addressing defendant, said: We have considered the charge against you, and are of opinion that it is fully sustained by the evidence. Magistrates having sometimes hesitated about convicting where the deviations were very trifling, the chief constable has very wisely given instructions to the inspectors not to bring forward cases of very minute deviations, and has furnished them with a scale for their guidance in the matter; yours, however, is not one of those cases, and we feel that we should not be doing our duty to the public, and more especially to the poor, if we did not inflict the highest penalty the law enacts. We adjudge you to pay a fine of 5l. and 7s. 6d. costs.
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 04 December 1858
PETTY SESSIONS.—Magistrates present: The Hon. J. J. Carnegie, Chairman; J. B. Carter, J. H. Waddington, G. Forbes, J. Martineau, Esqrs. and Sir Archibald McDonald.
— James Winscomb, grocer, of Petersfield, appeared to an information laid by Superintendent Thomas Fey, inspector of weights and measures. It appeared from the evidence that on Tuesday, the 23rd of November, the inspector visited the shop of the above named, and in the store where goods were exposed for sale, he found a large pair of beams and scales, and on examining them he found there were ten pounds and a half difference in weight, and on further examination he found a piece of iron so attached to the bottom of one of the scales that it was not perceivable when weighing, and on removing it the scales nearly balanced. He also found six weights in the shop which were light and unjust. The case being clearly proved the Bench fined the defendant £5 and costs, 7s. 6d. The Chairman made some strong remarks, and informed the defendant that it was a very bad case.