286 FRAUDULENT COMPETITION 



Sale of Food and Drugs Act in 1875, and a further amending 

 Act in 1879, this latter being rendered necessary by the con- 

 flicting decisions given in England and Scotland in regard to 

 the meaning and effect of Sec. 6 of the Act of 1875. 



Up to this point the Chambers were either too occupied 

 with other matters to pay attention to this subject or they 

 had not realised its importance. 



Adulteration of Seeds. 



In the session of 1869, however, Mr. Welby, M.P., intro- 

 duced the Adulteration of Seeds Bill, and on 4th May the 

 Council agreed to a petition to the House of Commons, setting 

 forth that great losses were sustained by agriculturists from 

 the fraudulent doctoring or colouring of seeds, and from 

 adulteration by means of killed seeds, and praying the House 

 to pass the Bill into law. The Bill became an Act, and renders 

 liable to a fine of 5 for a first offence and to a fine not exceed- 

 ing 50 for a second or subsequent offence, every person who 

 with intent to defraud dyes or kills any seeds. In the 

 case of a second or subsequent offence the Court may, besides 

 inflicting a fine, order the offender's name, occupation, place 

 of abode and place of business, and particulars of his punish- 

 ment under this Act to be published, at the expense of the 

 offender, in any manner the Court may prescribe. 



The Adulteration of Seeds Act, 1878, defines the term 

 " to dye seeds " in the earlier Act, as meaning the applica- 

 tion to seeds of any process of colouring, dyeing or sulphur 

 smoking.* 



In 1900 the Board of Agriculture appointed a Departmental 

 Committee to inquire into the conditions under which agri- 

 cultural seeds were sold . The Council nominated the Secretary 

 (Mr. Godfrey) to give evidence on their behalf, which he did, 

 after collecting information from members. This Committee 

 reported hi October, 1900, and recommended the establish- 

 ment of one central Seed -testing Station under Government 

 auspices ; and that every encouragement should be given 



* Common Weeds of the Farm and Garden. By Harold Long. 1910. 



