S.I. No. 182/1978:

MAXIMUM PRICES (MILK) ORDER, 1978.

MAXIMUM PRICES (MILK) ORDER, 1978.

The Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 22A and 22C (inserted by the Prices (Amendment) Act, 1965 (No. 23 of 1965)) of the Prices Act, 1958 (No. 4 of 1958), as amended by the Prices (Amendment) Act, 1972 (No. 20 of 1972), the Prices Stabilisation Order, 1973 ( S.I. No. 96 of 1973 ), and the Industry and Commerce (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order, 1977 ( S.I. No. 306 of 1977 ), hereby orders as follows:

1. (1) This Order may be cited as the Maximum Prices (Milk) Order, 1978.

(2) This Order shall come into operation on the 10th day of July, 1978.

2. In this Order "bottle" includes any carton, container or other closed receptacle in which milk is sold; "bottled milk" means liquid milk in any closed receptacle containing not less than a half-pint in imperial measure or not less than 284 millilitres in metric measure but not more than a quart in imperial measure or not more than 1.136 litres in metric measure, but does not include seperated milk, skim milk, butter milk, condensed milk, or cream.

3. A certificate purporting to be signed by a chemist or senior chemist in the State Laboratory and to be countersigned by the State Chemist or by the Assistant State Chemist that milk is bottled milk within the meaning of Article 2 of this Order shall, without proof of the signatures of the persons so purporting or that they were the proper persons so to sign, be prima facie evidence in any legal proceedings of the matters certified in the certificate.

4. The maximum prices at which bottled milk (other than milk described when bottled as highest grade milk) may be sold by retail shall be--

( a ) in case the milk is bottled in quantities expressed by measure in imperial measure--

(i) 4½p per half pint bottle,

(ii) 9p per pint bottle,

(iii) in any other case, prices calculated at the rate of 9p per pint,

( b ) in case the milk is bottled in quantities expressed by measure in metric measure, prices calculated at the rate of 8p per 500 millilitres,

and no extra charge shall be made in respect of the container in which the milk is sold; but whenever milk which is bottled in a glass bottle is sold, a refundable deposit not exceeding 4p may be charged if the purchaser of the milk does not surrender a glass bottle to the seller at or immediately after the time of sale.

5. The Maximum Prices (Milk) Order, 1976 ( S.I. No. 221 of 1976 ), is hereby revoked.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for

Industry, Commerce and Energy this 6th

day of July, 1978.

OWEN O'HARA.

A person authorised by the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy to authenticate the Official Seal of the Minister.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

This Order fixes the maximum retail price for bottled milk as defined in the Order.