ARGENTINE LAMB.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 6 May 1926, Page 7

ARGENTINE LAMB.

SOLD AS NEW ZEALAND

DIFFICULTY OF PROSECUTION. The New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board has just received an interesting rejwrt Horn its J/ondon manager relerring to a case which he has been investigating, where meat was wrongfully retailed as “New Zealand.” Extracts from this letter road as iollow: 1 have to advise that mv attention was drawn two or three weeks ago, -to an advertisement of a store advertising Canterbury lamb: Legs lOd, shoulders 9d, Loins Bd. These prices were practically below wholesale cost, and I at once sent an oiicer to inxestigate. From his report is was found that this was a clear case of wrongful retailing, as, the salesman definitely sold to our officer, Argentine lamb (branded with their indelible stamp) for Canterbury lamb. In addition to the advertisement, our officer had the evidence of the Argentine ticket which he took from the carcase. The-' whole circumstances were reported to the solicitors for the New Zealand Government to take action, but 1 regret to say that, alter they had taken the opinion of eminent counsel, they advised the High Commissioner that it would be useless going on with the case, as we could only proceed on a fraudulent sale, and under this action it is absolutely necessary that an invoice or description in writing be obtained. This point has been tested by the Appeal Court, and they had no hesitation in saying we should lose our case. This goes to show how impossible it will be to obtain any conviction under the Merchandise Marks Act for fraudulent sale, and at my suggestion. Sir James Allen hai written fully, giving the facts of this case, to the president of the Board of Trade. Sir Philip CunliffeLister. showing the necessity for an amendment of the present Act. The King’s speech at the opening of Parliament recently, indicated that a new Merchandise Marks Bill will he brought in by the Government very shortly, and, 'if the proposals of the Imperial Economic Committee are carried out in framing this Bill, it will throw the responsibility on to every retailer to mark his goods clearly with the country of origin. This will make it very much easier for us to obtain a prosecution. . While we were placing the facts of the above ease before onr lawyers, the newspapers reported the prosecution of a housewife in tlio suburbs of London against a butcher for supplying Argentine chilled beef for English home killed. This information was laid bv the housewife herself under the ••Pure Food aiul Drugs Act.” and the case was not nearly so strong as the evidence we had in our case. This was the first I had ever heard of a pros ecu. tion under this Act, and our solicitors were very surprised when I brought ibis case before them, as evidently thev had no knowledge that we can prose cute under this Act. Under this Act. it is not necessary to ask for a certificate, but merely to make a sale, and take delivery, and prove that the goods were not as verbally described. Now that we have this knowledge. it will be an easier thing to obtain a prosecution, as it was practically impossible to obtain a prosecution under the Merchandise Marks Act.