INFLATION OF PRICES (PREVENTION) ORDINANCE

INFLATION OF PRICES (PREVENTION)

CHAPTER 98

INFLATION OF PRICES (PREVENTION)

ORDINANCE

To provide for the prevention of the inflation of prices of certain

essential commodities.

(3rd February, 1939) *

ORDINANCE IV of 1939, as amended by Ordinance XXV of 1962; Legal

Notices: 4 of 1963, 46 of 1965; Acts: LVIII of 1974, XI of 1977, and XIII of

1983; and Legal Notice 408 of 2007.

The short title of this Ordinance is the Inflation of Prices

(Prevention) Ordinance.

In this Ordinance -

the expression "essential commodities" includes articles of food

for man, feeding stuffs for animals, livestock, articles used in the

preparation of food for consumption and any other commodity

which the Minister responsible for industrial development shall

declare to be essential for the life of the community;

the expression "shop" includes any place where essential

commodities are stored or offered for sale.

The Minister responsible for trade may, if he deems it

expedient in the interest of the population of Malta, make

regulations for any of the following purposes

(a) for fixing the maximum wholesale and retail prices of

essential commodities and for limiting the profit on the

sale thereof;

(b) for ordering that no essential commodities shall be

sold at a price exceeding the corresponding price at a

date specified in the regulation, or at a price exceeding

by more than the amount fixed in the regulation, the

corresponding price at such specified date;

(c) for directing that the prices and an indication of the

quality of essential commodities offered for sale to the

public shall be conspicuously exhibited on the goods

in such manner as may be provided in the regulations;

(d) for providing that any person owning, possessing or

concerned in the importation, sale, manufacture or

production of any essential commodities shall make a

return of the essential commodities held by, consigned

to or on order by him, to any person or persons

authorized by the Minister responsible for trade, in

such form and within such time as such authorised

person or persons may require; and

(e) generally, for giving directions for the purpose of

*See Proclamation No. V of the 3rd of February, 1939.

INFLATION OF PRICES (PREVENTION)

checking abuses in the sale of essential commodities.

(1) The President of Malta may appoint a Board to be

called the Price Control Board, consisting of such persons as he

may appoint.

(2) Such Board shall advise the Minister responsible for trade

on any matter within the powers vested in him by this Ordinance,

and shall exercise such other functions as shall be assigned to it by

regulations under the last preceding article.

(3) The Prime Minister may appoint one or more persons

hereinafter referred to as "inspectors" to inspect weights and

measures, to supervise the sale of essential commodities, and to

ensure the observance of any regulations made under this

Ordinance.

All regulations made under this Ordinance shall be

published in the Government Gazette and shall have effect from the

date of such publication

Provided that for the purposes of this Ordinance such

publication shall be deemed to have taken place in any town or

village, as soon as a copy of the Government Notice containing the

regulation has been posted up on the notice board of any Police

station in that town or village.

(1) Any inspector may enter any shop and may seize from

any such shop or from any cart or other vehicle on which essential

commodities are hawked, or from the possession of any person

offering essential commodities for sale, any weights or measures

which he has reason to believe to be incorrect, and may extract

s a m p l e s o f f o o d s t u ff s , a n d e x a m i n e a n y i n v o i c e , b o o k s o r

correspondence referring to any essential commodity.

(2) The inspector shall pay for all samples extracted and taken

by him at the current market price and shall give a receipt for any

weight or measure seized by him.

(1) Any person who obstructs or impedes an inspector in

the exercise of his powers under this Ordinance, or refuses to give

to an inspector his name and address and other particulars for the

purpose of his identification, shall be guilty of an offence against

this Ordinance.

(2) Any person who fails to comply with or acts in

contravention of any regulation made under this Ordinance shall be

guilty of an offence against this Ordinance.

(3) Any person who knowingly makes any false statement in

any return of essential commodities held or on order by him or

consigned to him, required to be made by regulations under this

Ordinance, shall be guilty of an offence against this Ordinance.

Any person who is guilty of an offence against this

Ordinance shall be liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a

term not exceeding three months or to a fine (multa) of not less

than eleven euro and sixty-five cents (11.65) nor exceeding one

INFLATION OF PRICES (PREVENTION)

hundred and sixteen euro and forty-seven cents (116.47) or to both

such imprisonment and fine

Provided that where the court is satisfied that the offence

would be adequately punished by a lesser penalty, the court may

reduce the fine in its discretion, but so that the fine shall in no case

be less than twenty-five cents

Provided, further, that in the case of a second or subsequent

offence against this Ordinance, the court may order that any licence

held by the offender for the sale of essential commodities, under

any law, shall be suspended for a period not exceeding three

months; any such order shall be published in the Government

Gazette and a copy thereof shall be affixed to the door or doors of

any shop in which the offence was committed and shall remain so

affixed for the whole period for which the order is in force.