ADULTERATED FABRICS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13317, 20 June 1907, Page 3

ADULTERATED FABRICS.

\ A short time ago a quantity of silk was held up by the Gtetoms';. Department at Melbourne, for examination. On analysis biing made it was found to contain about 59 per cent, of mineral mattre. The Department ascertained that there was a considerable demand for this class of material, and that it would have been a drastic step to have stopped its being sold. Tlie socalled silk was therefore allowed to pass, but it wne promised by the? Acting-Minister (Mr Chapman) that a most searching investigation into the practice of making mixed or adulterated fabrics should be. instituted. The inquiry which has now been ■entered upon will probably take a cpuple of years to complete . (says, the. Sydney Morning Herald) and will extend to several other countries. This has- ben determined ■ upon consequent on the disclosures -that have followed upon minuto inspection of .other goods manufactured for wearing purposes. The silk stuffs already mentioned were represented as not being actually silk, that is to say, they were priced at a figure at which silk could not. be sold. They were expressly.for use, to quota one representation made about them, for underskirts, and the mineral in them gave swishing sound eo dear to the.' heart oS women. It was stated that it was well-known that it was not the real thing. Some analysis of other similar fabrics, however, gave the result that there were goods imported under that name which contained not an atom of silk. Woollens also came under notice in the same re- i gard. Some were found to be made of quite a foreign kind of fibre. •' Many were composed of cotton with wool blown on. In these cases it is put forward that, although the goods look very much like what they are imitating, they are by no mams worthless, and they are-on.the market at prices which cannot ba called into account, as showing that .there is a misrepresentation of fraud. A fairly serviceable article is sold, and perhaps no mora is received for it than it is worth. Further, it has been made apparent to the.- Minuter that if a true description of contents or composition of article;!, were given the public might come to believe that it was altogether inferior. It has been demonstrated thai:; importation of adulterated goods is prevalent to a very large extent. Competition by German manufacturers and others in Europe in this way is slated to have caused British manufacturers to adopt similar means to cheapen the cost.