AN IMPORTANT MOVEMENT.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXX, Issue 4783, 19 January 1884, Page 4

AN IMPORTANT MOVEMENT.

A movement lias been started in England which should be taken up in the Colonies. It is to prevent the adulteration of beer. On November 10th, a meeting of hop growers and others was held at Canterbury, Kent under the presidency of Mr Pemberton, M. P. , at which resoiutions were passed to the effect that " it has become an absolute necessity for the protection of the public that all brewers who sell any compound composed of other material than malt and hops shall be compelled to label their casks, specify-

ing the materials used in the manufacture of the contents of the said casks; ancl all retailers who sell any composed of any such other materials shall not be allowed to sell such liquor under the name of beer, but shall be compelled to specify the materials of which such liquor is composed, and that this meeting pledges itself to support the. Anti-Beer Adulteration Association until this has been accomplished." It is contended that the noxious ingredients which are employed as substitutes for malt r.::: 'v>ps effected the greatest possible mischief upon the constitutions of those by whom the liquor was consumed, also that such adulterated liqour was largely productive of drunkenness. Mr W.H. Le May said- that in 1882 duty had been paid on twentyeight million barrels of beer in England, and to brew that quantity about two hundred and fortyfive thousand hundredweight more of hops should have been used if the beer had been entirely pure. In Germany the penalty for adulteration is confiscation, and in America the brewer and innkeeper are both compelled, under pains of heavy penalties, to label their liquors, showing truly from what they are manufactured.