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165 Mass. 38

Commonwealth v. Proctor

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided November 30, 1895

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1895-11-30

<p>Possession of Milk not of the required Standard — Master and Servant.</p> <p>A master may be convicted, under St. 1886, c. 318, § 2, of having in his custody and possession milk not of the required standard of quality, if in the custody and possession of a servant, in the ordinary course of his employment, and the general law governing the responsibility of a master for the acts of his servant in such cases was not intended to he affected by St. 1894, c. 425.</p>

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently October 1905

1 state decisions

Relies on Commonwealth v. Vieth

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1895-11-30

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Field, C. J.

¶1This was a complaint under St. 1886, c. 318, § 2, and the rulings of the Superior Court were right unless St. 1894, c. 425, has changed the law applicable to the case. Commonwealth v. Vieth, 155 Mass. 442.

¶2It is the general rule of law that the possession of a servant is the possession of the master. In the present case, we think that the evidence showed that the milk was still in the possession and under the control of the defendant. St. 1894, c. 425, we think, was designed to exempt a producer of milk from prosecution on a complaint that the milk was not of good standard quality only when the milk was found on other premises than those of the producer or in the possession of another person than the producer who was not subject to the control of the producer and who therefore might have adulterated the milk for his own purposes, or when the milk, if found upon the premises or in *40the possession or under the control of the producer, was taken by some person who was not an inspector of milk, or an agent of the dairy bureau or State board of health or a collector of samples duly authorized by an inspector, and who therefore might not be trustworthy. In every case of a taking of milk a sealed sample of the milk taken must be given to the producer for his protection. There is no indication that the general law governing the responsibility of a master for the acts of his servont was intended to be affected by the statute.

¶3 Exceptions overruled.

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