SYDNEY "BULLETIN."

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1676, 13 April 1904, Page 9

SYDNEY "BULLETIN."

SLASHING COMMENTS ON A RECENT CASE OF GENERAL INTEREST.

The Sydney “Bulletin,” in its characteristic style, has just attacked a very common piece of dishonesty taking for its 'text a law case in. Melbourne the previous week. The "Bulletin,” whatever its faults may be, is always fearless and independent. It has a well-deserv-ed reputation for sizing a case up in a few word's, and its editor has done so here: —

"Chemist John. Digby, who lias several shops scattered over suburban Melbourne, has boon up to one of the oldest and riskiest tricks of life very tricky trade. Ho has been playing the old game of substitution, and was burned pretty badly m Justice Hood’s court the other day. For months lie had been bamboozling his pink pill customers with the well-worn story that lie had in bulk some pills which were "just the same as’ Dr Williams’, at a fraction of the price. Wonder why this "piece of fraudulent impertinence thrives so well in the drug trade? It is nuuoh the l same as if one asked ait a bookstall for a novel by George Meredith, and was urged by the 'beardless youth behind the counter to take one by Marfa Corelli instead. ‘lt is really just as good, and ever, so much more far the money.’ The impertinence or the insinuating chemist’s clerk is just about as bad in its way. Digby gave his customers the imitation, but Justice Hood l gave Digby the g-e-nur-ine article. There were half-a-dozen witnesses in court ready to- swear, with dates and all the details complete l , that the fraud had been perpetrated repeatedly by Digby himself and life assistants. The official analyst was also on hand ito testify that his "just as good” pills contained only one or two of the ingredients, and! hapl none of the medicinal properties of the genuine. When Digby saw the array of evidence he sought a settlement. The pink pill people then let him dawn lightly. Justice Hood granted tho injunction and awarded them. £SO damages and costs, which will probably run into several hundred pounds. Time was given to Digby to pay. If imitators generally got more of this sauce 'there would soon be a, roaring trade for Judge Mo'lesworth and his bankruptcy associates in the other colonies. There is some prospect of this, as Dr Williams intimated that there were a couple more chemist to put through their facings at once, and more evidence is being collected' against others who aro adopting the plan of getting rich quickly by living on the other fellow’s reputation.” In 'these days, when everything from soa.p to steam engines and from pills to pianos are sold under the proprietary name of a maker whose name is a guarantee of high quality, it is necessary to be constantly on guard against the unscrupulous imitator with some thing "just as good.” The fact that the majority of dealers are honest makes it all thie easier for the others to* score on those customer's-who let themselves be cajoled into taking substitutes. The Melbourne judgment reported by the "Bulletin,” now establishes the interesting point that a shopkeeper must give the genuine pills of Dr Williams’ manufacture' if a customer asks simply for "pink pills”—as these two words are held to have become a 'tirade mark by continual usage. In connection with the same line, by the way, there are a great many complaints in New Zealand just now about some shops palming off oinl their customers a bare-faced but worthless foreign substitute in glass bottles. It is only ta be expected than these people will be proceeded against next.