288 FRAUDULENT COMPETITION 



Manure Manufacturers' Association), who welcomed the 

 proposal ; Mr. T. Brown (Managing Director of the West 

 Norfolk Farmers' Manure Company, at King's Lynn), who 

 also welcomed the proposal ; and Dr. Bernard Dyer, who 

 criticised it. 



In March, 1891, the Council passed another resolution 

 thanking Mr. Charming for having drafted and introduced 

 his Bill, which they approved ; they further expressed 

 satisfaction at an announcement that the Government 

 intended to introduce a measure of their own to deal with 

 this subject, and urged that it should be proceeded with 

 at once. The Government did introduce a Bill, but onl}~ at 

 the very close of the session. The following February the 

 Council gave their general approval to the Bill, introduced in 

 1891 by the President of the Board of Agriculture (Mr. 

 Chaplin), and appointed a Committee, with Mr. Christopher 

 Middleton as Chairman, to consider in detail what amendments 

 were necessary. In March, Mr. Chaplin appointed a Depart- 

 mental Committee " to inquire into and to report upon the 

 representations made by the Chambers of Agriculture and 

 other bodies with reference to the adulteration of artificial 

 manures and fertilisers and feeding stuffs used in agricul- 

 ture." Mr. F. A. Channing and Mr. Albert Pell were members 

 of this Committee. The Council nominated Mr. Middleton 

 as their witness, and he was examined at considerable length. 

 The Departmental Committee reported in October, 1892, in 

 favour of legislation, all the members of the Committee 

 signing the report, but Mr. Channing presented a supple- 

 mentary report, expressing the opinion that a guaranteed 

 analysis was necessary with the sale of feeding stuffs, whereas 

 the other members thought it was unnecessary. In 1893 

 the Government introduced a fresh Bill, which received the 

 Royal Assent during that session. 



No more was heard of this matter until December, 1902, 

 when a series of resolutions asking for amendments to the 

 Act of 1893 came before the Council from the Ripon Agri- 

 cultural Association. The Council thereupon appointed a 

 new Committee to go fully into the subject, consisting of 



