MUST BE TRUE TO LABEL, SAYS LAW

NZ Truth, Issue 1229, 20 June 1929, Page 4

MUST BE TRUE TO LABEL, SAYS LAW

mmmmmnnmnmmmimimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm iituinmm iiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit I Sermons m stones, songs m trees, books m. the | j running brook, and, to vary the poetical quotation, . | I snakes m whisky. ' ' | ! You cannot see the , snakes m the bottle of amber j j , spirit any more than you can see the pages, of a weighty | I tome rustling over m the current of the nearest stream, | I buttake enough of the wrong whisky and yaa will see j '■*.. I enough Zoo exhibits to convince you. |

WHEN Ti . Tree Bill hits the town after a sufficient, sojourn- in' the bush to pack a tidy roll together he is apt to spend a healthy portion of it m whisky, rum or. whatever, liquor happens.' to tickle : his ' none-too-sehsitive palate. If he drinks good spirit often enough arid lohg-'eriough, He will' possibly see ring- tailed 'possums .-' scaling.t he stelegraph .poles :. or spotted and striped Bnakes scuttling under ' the horse-hair seats of the bar "parlor."'. Let him dririk bad. or adulterated spirit, however,' and the process : will be, hastened ih two directions. ■Which, brings us to certain aspects of /liquor and its control, v 7 ,'• Fortunately, the. doping: of liquor m New Zealand is becoming rare thanks to a strict system of police and health department control. . The main trouble- that the authorities are .faced with now is the tendency of some publicans to sell something for what it is not. This applies mainly, to whisky,' but has been known to. invade the gin and rum. bottle's, while even the good old plebian beer has. not escaped attention. aiiiiiiiiiiiiininiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiii

Look on the inside of the label of any of the reputable brands of whisky and you will see a printed number. Its significance is not apparent to everyone, but it represents the vat from which that bottle was filled. Sealed samples of the same va,t are. kept by the distiller or their representatives. Therefore, when an inspector Of the Public Health Department walks .into an hotel/bar he can go round. behind the counter, seize any bottle. of liquor that he- fancies or which may. arouse hit suspicions. ■•'■*•_ He pays the full retail • price, and then pours the contents into three smaller bottles which are properly sealed. One is given to the, publican,, one is sent to the Dominion analyst the other is kept intact m case of disputes. .... The- analyst has before him,, or can obtain a sample 'of the liquor that corresponds with the vat, npmber and by scientific calculation he can easily tell the Various constituents: 7 So * much proof "alcohol, so much 'fixed acid-jf-the sample does not check up to standard, there is a prosecution againstthe publican for selling, liquor, that is* miiiiiiH[tiiiMiHiiHHiiimiiiiiiii»i»»»iM!«iii»i"»U»»iii»»» l ' 11, ." ,1,111,1 . M,i