104 



PARLIAMENTAKY PUBLICATIONS. 



[Sept. 1»'.)4. 



In this report the Committee state that, having considered 

 and reported during the last session on the subject of the 

 marking of foreign meat, they have confined their inquiry 

 during the present session to imported agricultural and horticul- 

 tural produce other than meat. 



The subjects dealt with in the present report are fruit, cheese, 

 butter and margarine, milk, eggs, and hay. 



In the cajSe of fruit it was shown that much misrepresentation 

 is carried on by the sale of foreign fruit under the name of 

 English, and it was also stated before the Committee that ifc is 

 customary for the agents of jam manufacturers in many cases to 

 suppl}' baskets to the fruit growers whether at home or abroad, 

 and to mark them with their own name or initials. On arrival 

 in the market there is nothing to distinguish between such 

 baskets containing foreign fruit and those containing English. 



The Committee are of opinion that where the mark on a 

 package, though only that of the owner or addressee, can be 

 shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Customs in 

 efi^ect to be misleading to purchasers, the Commissioners should 

 frame an order for the detention of such packages. 



With a view to prevent the use of unsound fruit, the Com- 

 mittee suggest that there should be an efficient inspection at the 

 ports, and in the factories, of fruit arriving in closed casks. 



It was suggested to the Committee that cheese might easily 

 be marked at the time it was in the press without diminishing 

 its value, while it would be impossible to make these impressions 

 after the cheese left the press. 



The Committee have not thought it their duty to make any 

 special inquiry into the subject of margarine, but they desire to 

 call attention to a proposal that all margarine should be sold 

 without colouring matter, the effect of which would be that 

 margarine would retain its natural white colour, while butter 

 would be of various shades of yellow. 



As regards milk, it is remarked that until recently the compe- 

 tition of imported milk with that produced in England was 

 very limited in extent, but since last year it has increased 

 considerably. It was pointed out to the Committee that, 

 whereas milk produced in England is subject to safeguards for 

 the protection of the public health by the inspection of dairies 

 and milk shops, in the case of milk imported from abroad no 

 safeguards exist other than those required by the laws of the 

 respective countries of export, and there is no means of testing 

 it after landing. The suggestion was made that a yellow colour 

 imparted to milk imported from abroad would prevent the 

 possibility of confusion, but it was not denied that such a 

 requirement might prejudice the sale of imported milk. 



It is stated in the report that there does not appear to be any 

 practical difficulty in the way of marking eggs. Many firms do 

 so already as a guarantee of freshn(^"ss. The mark, it is stated, 



