NEW ZEALAND MEAT FRAUDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11917, 15 December 1900, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND MEAT FRAUDS.

THE BLACKPOOL APPEAL. IMPORTANT JUDGMENT. (Frtoit Our Own Corhespondcnt.) LONDON, November 10. New Zealand generally, and the Agent-general and Mr H. C. Cameron (the New Zealand produce commissioner) in particular, are to be congratulated upon having taken up the important question of the sale or ment, other than New Zealand, as "New Zealand." it will be remembered that in March last Mr Cameron visited Liverpool and Blackpool, and traced a Kiver Plate sheep to the shop of a butcher at the latter place. This butcher advertised, amonss other things, "Canterbury (N.Z.) mutton and lamb, 5d and shd per lb. ' Mr Cameron, producing this handbill, bought a leg of mutton for which he was charged sid, the vendor saying that the 5d referred to River Plate meat, n " little of which he sometimes had at the end of the week." At Mr Cameron's request that an indication should be. given on the invoice that the meat was New Zealand, the letters " N.M." wee placed on it. On a summons for a breach of the Merchandise Marks Act bc-in<- heard before the Blackpool magistrates, Ilu-y dismissed the case without calling upon tli o clef once for the ren sen t licit t lioy consirUr?d there had keen no breach of the Merchandise. Jfarks Act. Briefly, these were the ifncts, which I have thought' it well to repeat in a summarised form. A fortnight ago, as 1 informed you at the time, the appeal against the decision of the Blacknool magistrates was heard, judgment being reserved by Mr Justice Lawrence and Mr Justice Kennedy. On Saturday morning last this decision was given by Mr Justice Lawrence, who, quoting from the case stated by the magistrates, remarked that, they had found, as a fact, that the letters " N.M."" meant "New Zealand mutton." The question arose whether that was a description under the Merchandise Marks Act. Under that act the expression " trade description " meant " any description, statement, or other indication, direct or indirect, of the number and weight of goods, the place or country in which the goods wore produced, the manufactory or material of which they were composed, and the use of any figure, work, or mavk, which, according to the custom of the trade, is commonly taken to bo an indication of any of the above matters, shall be deemed to bo a trade description within the meaning of the act." As to the transaction, proceeded Mr Justice Lawrence, what was done was—there was no doubt whatever about it—fraudulent from the very beginning. As a fact, the mutton was found not to be New Zealand mutton, while the magistrates found that by putting on the letters "N.M." New Zealand mutton was meant. The case of Copping and Moore (2 Q. 8., 98, page 300), quoted by Mr Avory for tho appellant, when American hams had been sold for "Scotch" was almost a similar case; in principle it was the same. There could be no doubt that had the representation been oral merely there would not have been an offence under the act. But in his opinion the putting of " N.M." on the invoice constituted an offence, and the magistrates were wrong in dismissing the summons ; the letters had been added for the very purpose of showing that the mutton was from New Zealand. As, however, the Blackpool magistrates had dismissed the information without requiring the respondent to call evidence, it seemed to him (Mr Justice Lawrence) that they could not say tho justices ought to find the respondent guilty without hearing the case ho was prepared to give. The matter must therefore go back to the magistrates with the intimation that if the facts remained as found that there ousht to be a conviction, of course subject to any alteration which may bo made in the case by the evidence given at the proMr Justice Kennedy said he entirely agreed in the judgment. Journals conneded with the meat trade have given ..full circulation to the decision, and notices of it have appeared also in the nontrndo press, so that the action should have iii good effect both in putting consumers on their continuing bad practices. ; AN EXPLANATION BY MR THEOMIX. ■ TO Tins EDITOR. Sir.—That you have unintentionally done me an injustice in your leading article on the Boys*' High School break-up is, I think, mainly my own fault in not making- myself perfectly clear on the question of athletics. I am "by no means one of those who advertise thcmselvos in connection with every popular movement; but all who know me will testify that I have ever been ready and anxious to forward athletics by every means in my power. In my few remarks to the school, I never even hinted at the holidays or any part of them being devoted to study. What I particularly wished to deprecate- was the practice so many lads follow of carefully studying the r.ITKHATu'nE of athletics to the marked detriment of their mental powers—my experience beiii'i- that many really bright youths con id pass a stilt' examination in the biographies nnd record.-* of athletes, and yet fail ignominiously if asked the simple"! question concerning current events with which they might reasonably be expected to have n fair acquaintance. This certainly'should not. be. Trusting you will grant me space to make this explanation.—l am, etc.. D. E. TiIEOMIN.

— Artificial eyes are supplied to all the world from Thuringia, Germany. Nearly 1 all the grown inhabitants of some of the villiices aro engaged in their manufacture. Four men usually nit at a table, each with a gas- ■ jot ill front of him. and the eyes are blown from sub plates and moulded into shape by i hand. The colours are then traced in with i small needles, no set rule being observed in i the colouring ; and, as every man uses his own fancy, no two artificial /eyes therefore are ! exactly alike. .... — The number of premature burials is sueli > that a society for their prevention has been : brought out 'in New York. The society ipi tends to procure compulsory legislation re- • quiring certain tests to be applied before certificates of death are granted for the autho : ripation of burial. The tests are said to be I these • Two or more incisions in an artery; > thfl'palm of tlifi hand exposed to the flame ol ,' a candle within sin distance; a mirror helc [ to the lips without sign of respiration; n hoi • iron applied to the flesh without producing c r blister.