ADULTERATED FOODS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 165, 12 July 1907, Page 3

ADULTERATED FOODS.

•HON. <?• FOWEDS GIVES EXAMPLES.

prjEE FOODS BILL BEFORE THE HOUSE.

(Bj -Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

The Hon. Geo. Fowlfis moved the second reading of the Pure Foods Bill in the • Souse last night. He stated that the meisure was practically the same as tfcit of last year, though it had been - 'redrafted- It would be admitted that ereat developments -had taken place in relard to the production of food within the la«t few years. The British Gov- ■ eminent'had amended its Prevention of Adulteration Aci Some of the American ''States had passed drastic legislation in the matter, and Victoria had also adopt- : ed'a' measure. The present Mil was the lesnlt of careful consideration of the ■' • provisions of the different measures, and - he hoped it would be found to contain -more complete provisions than the bills ; . ie had referred to. It was important that people should know what they were - iiivina "srtien food and drugs were con- ■ cerned, and he believed State interfer-ence-was justified. Things were not ! "•' '*' always what they seemed. For example, "best white pepper was often a mixture ■'■" o f-white pepper and flour, while finest ' coffee comprised 70 per cent of chicory aia'3o per cent of coffee. The four-I •, -nound loaf was often considerably below %c proper weight, while the finest condensed milk might contain no butter fat at all/and the best green peas might have been persuaded to assume their 'TeiSant' colour by the addition of sulphate of copper or green vitriol. One teandof condensed milk largely adver- j ' ' :'tised possessed a label picturing a fine - ■ l&lthy cow wandering knee deep in pastuie, hut this suggestion of butter fat /■was not.borne out by analysis, and the Health Department stopped its sale. Quite a number of manufacturers had expressed their approval of sucE legislation as was proposed, in order to prevent tie flooding of the market -with, inferior', products. In regard to the milk supply, there was no provision for regulatin" it, after it reached the towns, and ■ fins Vμ a deficiency which would require "•' to be" remedied. The bill imposed no disability upon the honest manufacturer ■'.■ "'". br seller. So long as the article was fit 'lot consumption there wouia be no inter- . ference Ttitli it. ... . Mr. Wilford (Hutt) said that sometimes a pound tin of coffee only con- "-::<' timeS' 13 ounces, the tin weighing the ; rest. "He asEed if the Minister would * •f'-tste.' steps to ensure that -when, people :■ asked for a pound they should get it ~'without including the tin. , ,3ir. Aitken (Wellington) said that .;... .ilere were medical men who declared that the elnm milk condemned t>y the Health Department was a better food ■ _-.-ior children when mixed with sugar than milk containing the usual proportion of butter fat. So long as the proper quantity of flour was put into the loaf, ..;.. the lighter it was when it came out of the oven the better he liked it, because it was moTe digestible. ;■■';- Mr. Poole (Auckland West)- expressed appreciation of the efforts made by the Minister. Adulteration of food had .;.-=. been going on for a long time, and people £ had been so hoodwinked tha-t it was hard to know where to get pure food. A &:~Zgood~deal of , the adulterated food was - 1 -, imported, and if they wished to assist the retailer in carrying out ISs business honestly, the Customs authorities should le instructed to analyse the importations and pass or reject them according :... to the tesult. If the Customs authorities collected a revenue from articles imported, and these got through the whole- ■ sale ■ warehouses to the retailers, it was that the latter should be saddled

•". with responsibility and police-court "when they were quite help- ■ r -less in the matter.

•Mr. Fisher. (Wellington) declared it ~ strange that while people strongly con-

demned the milkman who put a pint of ..*'. "water into a gallon of milk, they looked

■with equanimity upon the spectacle of

tie publican -who sold liquor which was Viprobably' destined to poison" those who . drank it.- If the bill did nothing else ■than secure purity of liquor it would do .good.

Several members erpressed approval : of the hill, and agreed with the Minister i ■";«gaiding the.necessity for it.

, -<Mi. Hogg (Masterton) declared, that

I attention > should also be given to im- ' "ported , fabrics; there was a silk which I -was*, composed of SO per cent of tin, put '•in ±o make it rustle. (Laughter.) Ano- > tier variety of. alleged silk did notcon.tain a. particle of anything but wood ■' Jfibre. ■ . .

:■• ; 'JJgata (Eastern Maori District) .._..' referred to the adulteration of King Country whisky, stating that a large ■ t quantity of kerosene found its way into ■i- theTiijuor.-

.. . -Tie Minister for Public Health, reply- ■'. .*??-■*?, members' observations, said, re- ;. tailers were' protected if they secured a warranty of-purity from the manufac- • -.ijtoeiß. , They.could imagine the confusion -■yriadi .would result if goods were held W arrival, so that they could be analyse! ... ... r The bill was read a second time with- . wrt'division. ' ■