CAP. 294, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT BELIZE

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT

CHAPTER 294

REVISED EDITION 2000

SHOWING THE LAW AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2000

This is a revised edition of the law, prepared by the Law Revision Commissioner

under the authority of the Law Revision Act, Chapter 3 of the Laws of Belize,

Revised Edition 1980 - 1990.

This edition contains a consolidation of the following laws- Page

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 3

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT 4

Amendments in force as at 31st December, 2000.

BELIZE

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT

CHAPTER 294

REVISED EDITION 2000

SHOWING THE LAW AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2000

This is a revised edition of the law, prepared by the Law Revision Commissioner

under the authority of the Law Revision Act, Chapter 3 of the Laws of Belize,

Revised Edition 1980 - 1990.

This edition contains a consolidation of the following laws- Page

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 3

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT 4

Amendments in force as at 31st December, 2000.

THE SUBSTANTIVE LAWS OF BELIZE REVISED EDITION 2000

Printed by the Government Printer,

No. 1 Power Lane,

Belmopan, by the authority of

the Government of Belize.

Weights and Measures [CAP. 294

[ ]

3

CHAPTER 294

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 . Short title.

2. Bureau of Standards to perform duties of Inspector of Weights and

Measures.

3. Imperial troy and avoirdupois weights to be used.

4. Also imperial gallon and its parts.

5. The bushel and its use and capacity.

6. Measure of extension defined.

7. Contracts to be made affected by this Act.

8. Standard weights, etc., to be kept in office of Inspector of Weights

and Measures.

9. Powers of Inspector.

10. Inspector to make inspection once in three months.

11. Inspector may stamp weights, etc. Penalty for refusing to allow him.

12. Penalty for counterfeiting or uttering counterfeit of inspector’s mark.

13. Penalty where none specifically provided.

14. Procedure for the recovery of penalties.

CHAPTER 294

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

[13th March, 1849]

1. This Act may be cited as the Weights and Measures Act.

2.-(1) It shall be the duty of the head of the Bureau of Standards to perform

all the duties prescribed for the Inspector of Weights and Measures by or

under this Act.

(2) The head of the Bureau of Standards may delegate all or any of

his functions under this Act to any other officer or employee of the Bureau.

(3) In this Act, “Bureau” means the Bureau of Standards established

under the Standards Act.

3. The standard imperial troy weights and avoirdupois weights at

present used by law in Great Britain are declared to be the only legal

standard weights to be used in Belize, whereby all articles sold by weights

shall be sold and disposed of, and all such articles shall be sold by

avoirdupois weight except gold, silver, platina, diamonds or other precious

stones and drugs when sold by retail, and such excepted articles, and none

other, may be sold by troy weight.

4. The standard imperial measures of capacity, as well for liquids as for

dry goods, shall be the imperial gallon now in use in Great Britain, and all

other measures of capacity to be used shall be taken in parts or multiples or

certain proportions of the said imperial standard gallon, as they are taken,

computed, and ascertained in Great Britain.

Ch. 64,

R.L., 1958.

CAP. 222,

R.E. 1980-1990.

14 of 1982.

22 of 1987.

8 of 1988.

Short title.

Bureau of

Standards to

perform duties of

Inspector of

Weights and

Measures.

8 of 1988.

Imperial troy and

avoirdupois

weights to be

used.

Also imperial

gallon and its

parts.

CAP. 295.

,

No. 1 Power Lane,

Belmopan, by the authority of

the Government of Belize.

Weights and Measures [CAP. 294

[ ]

5

5. The standard measure of capacity for corn, lime, potatoes, salt, fruit,

and other goods usually sold by the bushel, shall be the bushel, containing

eight gallons, or eighty pounds avoirdupois.

6. The genuine standard yard measure, containing three feet, or thirty-

six inches in length, in use in Great Britain, is declared to be the standard

measure of extension, wherefrom or whereby all measures of extension

whatever, whether they be lineal, superficial or solid, shall be computed and

ascertained, and all other measures of length shall be taken in parts or

multiples or certain proportions of the standard yard, as they are taken,

computed, and ascertained in Great Britain.

7. All contracts, bargains, sales and dealings, which are made or had in

Belize, for any work to be done, or for any goods, wares, merchandise, or

other thing, to be sold, delivered, done, or agreed for, by weight or measure,

shall be deemed, taken and construed to be made and had according to the

standard weights and measures ascertained by this Act, and by no other

weights or measures whatever.

8.-(1) A copy or model of each of the standard pounds, the standard gallon,

the standard bushel, and the standard yard, and a triangle, beam, and pair of

scales, shall be deposited and kept in the office of the Inspector of Weights

and Measures in each district, that reference may be had to them when

necessary, and duplicates of such copy or models of the weights and

measures aforesaid, and of the triangle, beam, and scales aforesaid, shall be

held and kept by the head of the Bureau.

(2) The duplicate weights and measures mentioned in subsection (1)

shall be compared with the copies of the standard weights and measures kept

in his office by the Inspector of Weights and Measures at least once in every

three months, in the presence of an officer authorised by the head of the

Bureau, and every weight and measure, which, upon such comparison, shall

The bushel and

its use and

capacity.

Measure of

extension

defined.

Contracts to be

made affected by

this Act.

Standard

weights, etc., to

be kept in office

of Inspector of

Weights and

Measures.

be found short, deficient, or untrue, shall be destroyed and other weights

and measures shall be procured in their stead at the expense of Belize.

9.-(1) The Inspector of Weights and Measures may enter any shop, store,

wharf, warehouse, stall, yard, or place whatever, wherein goods or anything

shall be kept or exposed for sale, or shall be weighed for the purpose of

shipping, conveyance, or carriage, and there to weigh all weights, and try all

measures, beams, or scales, or other weighing machines, and compare and

try them with weights and measures equal to the copies of the standard

weights and measures mentioned in section 8 and required to be kept in his

office.

(2) If any weights, measures, beams, scales or machines are found

deficient, light, unjust or untrue, they shall be seized by the Inspector of

Weights and Measures, and taken before a magistrate, who shall, upon its

being shown to his satisfaction that such weights, measures, beams, scales

or machines are light, deficient, unjust or untrue, declare them to be

forfeited, and order them to be destroyed, and the person in whose

possession such forfeited weights, measures, beams, scales or machines,

have been found, commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceedmg

one hundred and twenty-five dollars, for each and every weight, measure,

beam, scale or machme forfeited and ordered to be destroyed.

(3) The Inspector of Weights and Measures, whenever the difference

between any weights on any wharf, or in any store, or shop, or place of

business, and the copies of the standard weights is not considerable, and is

not in his opinion occasioned by any improper means, or with any fraudulent

intent, but by the usual wear and tear, and loss of weight by rust, occasioned

by the exposure of the weights to damp air, may refrain from seizing them,

and proceed to adjust them and make them equal to the copies of the

standard weights, by attaching and firmly fastening to them one or more ring

or rings; but that no such ring shall be attached to any weights under

fourteen pounds avoirdupois.

Power of

Inspector.

8 of 1988.

,

No. 1 Power Lane,

Belmopan, by the authority of

the Government of Belize.

Weights and Measures [CAP. 294

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(4) No person shall use any weight made of lead or tin, and all such

weights may be seized and destroyed by the Inspector of Weights and

Measures, or seized and taken by any other person before a magistrate, who

shall order all such weights to be immediately destroyed.

10. The Inspector of Weights and Measures shall not be entitled to any

fee whatever from the parties in possession of any weights and measures

which he may adjust, and he shall inspect the weights and measures in each

place of public business once at least in every three months.

11. The Inspector of Weights and Measures may, if he see fit, cause a

stamp to be put on all weights and measures to be used under the provisions

of this Act, and any person refusing such stamp to be put on any weight or

measure by the person appointed for such purpose, commits an offence and

is liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred and twenty-five dollars.

12.-(1) If any person makes, forges or counterfeits, or causes or procures to

be made, forged or counterfeited, or knowingly aids or assists in the making,

forging or counterfeiting of, any stamp or mark adopted and used at any time

by authority of the Inspector of Weights and Measures for the stamping or

marking of any weights or measures to denote that any of such weights or

measures have or has been compared, adjusted and approved to be of the

due weight or measure required by law, he commits an offence and is liable

to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars.

(2) If any person sells, utters, disposes of or exposes for sale any

such illegal weight or measure, with or without such forged or counterfeited

stamp or mark thereon, he commits an offence and is liable to a fine not

exceeding one thousand dollars, and all illegal weights and measures, with or

without such forged or counterfeited marks, so exposed or offered for sale,

shall be forfeited and ordered to be destroyed.

13. For every offence against this Act for which no penalty is provided,

the offender is liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars, or to

Inspector to

make inspection

once in three

months.

Inspector may

stamp weights,

etc. Penalty for

refusing to allow

him.

Penalty for

counterfeiting or

uttering

counterfeit of

inspector’s mark.

Penalty where

non specifically

provided.

imprisonment for a term not exceeding thirty days.

14. All penalties imposed by this Act shall be recovered upon summary

conviction.

__________

Procedure for the

recovery of

penalties.