This evening was the deadline for the signing of the Statutory Instrument requiring scales to be signed into law. So was it signed? Well, the Minister of Economic Development who should sign it, Erwin Contreras has been un-reachable on his cell phone for the past two days, so we couldn't get comment from him.
Earlier today, the official comment from the Bureau of Standards was that the S.I. was not finished yet but that it would be finished today.
According to our information the draftsperson was trying to hammer down the technical details, which was causing the delays.
The S.I. will require the installation of scales at butane depots and on delivery trucks - which was the practice in the past - and it will impose fines and penalties for non-compliance. No word at this hour on how stiff those fines will be. We'll continue to monitor and as soon as the S.I. become available, we'll publicize the details so that you know what to expect as a consumer.
We do know that in advance of the legislation, industrial scales have been a hot item for butane companies. LP Gas and Supplies in Spanish Lookout sold six $1,100.00 dollars scales in an hour and a half on Thursday morning.
