HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 2438 
way they do that is this: They take a tun of wine and they draw off all 
of it, except maybe 10 gallons. Then they fill it up with a cheaper 
wine, although a similar one, and they draw that off and call that the 
original wine. That is what they call stretching. Sometimes they 
stretch a second time, until, finally, they may adulterate the wine so 
that almost none of the original wine is there. They make no bones 
about selling that as the original wine, under the name of the original 
wine, when not even a fraction of the original wine is present. 
Mr. Burveson. Have you any idea how the people on the British 
ae _ protected against these misnomers, this false labeling of 
goods 
Mr. Wier. Yes; I have quite a good idea, because I have investi- 
gated that on two or three different occasions. I have had the good 
fortune to study these things in Europe for several years. I have 
done that at my own expense, because it was the only way I could do 
it, and ] did not like to ask the Secretary of Agriculture to pay my 
bills. I have been over there and studied this problem in all those 
countries, and especially in England, for the past two years. I have 
been over there in consultation with the great merchants, who have 
their own agents at all these places, just as I hope we may be able to 
have one from our country. They have a merchandise mark act in 
England which makes it a penal offense to put a false brand on any 
article of merchandise. But at the same time no one is specially 
charged with es] that the law is enforced. The great houses, how- 
ever, take it up and see that it is enforced; there are no Government 
officers charged with the enforcement of the act. There are some 
of the great firms, especially the army and navy stores, which have 
a great reputation to hold up, and their trade all over the world is due 
to the fact that they use every precaution to guarantee to the pur- 
chaser that he gets exactly what he purchases when he buys from them. 
They trace every one of these wines 
The Cuarrman. How can they do that? 
Mr. Witey. It is the simplest thing in the world. 
The Cuarrman. It sticks me how an agent could follow these different 
shipments, and keep track of them, and advise this Government? 
Mr. Witey. Of course the people there would aid him in every 
possible way. 
The Cuarrman. Do you think they would? 
Mr. Witry. Every man that sells the genuine wine wants this done; 
but he can only certify as to his own wines; he can not prevent another 
man from misbranding. 
The Cuarrman. I think if a man would come over here from France 
or Germany and go around to our merchants trying to find out about 
their business and prying on their methods, you might say that he 
would not receive a very warm welcome. 
Mr. Wier. This is what is done. The merchant who trades in 
these articles certifies every wine direct from the vintage to the pur- 
chaser. 
Mr. Roper. Does it not sometimes occur that they put just as good 
wine in those casks as the genuine wine, that they simply want the 
reputation of the name? 
r. Wier. No; that isnot so, because these wines are of especially 
fine character; but they are similar wines which they put in. 
