Minutes of Evidence p.1401-1509 - Parliament of Victoria

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_Loonai'd Jones,
f.Ymlintwl,
8thlll'aJlB83,
1468
confidence at present; but I know he has sent out a mustard here called" Genuine mustard,'' but it is almost
out of the market.
49597. Does not he send out an article to this colony with the words in silver" Genuine mustard"?
-Yes, he does.
49598. And it is not upon that ?-It is not.
49599. But you are aware that he sends it out? -I am aware that he sends out a" Genuine mustard"
marked in silver or gold, as you describe.
49600. By th,e Chai:rman.-But even upon that label which has the words" Genuine mustard" in
silver letters this clause does not appear that you say that you have to put upon your labels ?-It does
not appear ; but it would not be necessary upon genuine mustard, you understand, to have that on at all.
You see Colman makes up mustard in the same manner as we do, and we have to put in that clause, and he
does not put it in.
49601. By Mr. Mcinty1·e.-Then "Genuine mustard," as imported by Mr. Colman, means a different
class of mustard, not that made by you ?-Yes, nothing but mustard.
49602. Is it not sufficient satisfaction to your business that that should be so ?-But ours has to say
that it is ndxed " with other wholesome ingredients," and the public see that, and they say there are other
ingredients in McKenzie's and there are none in Colman's. I think it would be only fair that Colman should
be compelled to put the same thing upon his mustard as we do upon ours, to be fair, or else let us take off
ours anti let Colman's in in the same fashion.
49603. Then we would require to prohibit the importation of this article unless it is branded like
the eolonial article ?-As a matter of fact, Colman eould not issue that label in London. He would be
obliged to conform to the law in London, the Adulteration of Food Act. . As a matter of fact, Keen's
mustard is marked like ours, but Colman's is not.
49604. By Mr. Zox.-Your complaint is, that upon every tin of mustard that you sell you are bound
to say what the article really eontains ?-Will you be kind enough not to put it in that way ? I do not
complain.
49605. But I want to go further with it. You say, if you are compelled to do that, you think it
unfair that our imported article should be introduced here without containing similar words to what your
tin is compelled to bear ?-I think it would be an injustice to us that our goods go before the public as a
mixture while the others appear as pure.
49606. Are you sure, in the event of that article being sold in England and not exported, it would
be a matter of impossibility, without infringment upou the Act, for Colman to put that label on the tin ?­
I think it would be an infringment of the Act ; but you are, no doubt, better posted up on those things
. than I am.
49607. What suggestion would you make to this Commission by which they would be enabled to
control the exporters from England as to the labels they put upon their tins ?-They can publish a notice to
the effect that articles made.up in a similar manner should have the same label-should conform to the
Adulteration of Food Act of this colony.
49608. Have you found it any way detrimental to your business ?-No. I mean to say that there
are spme natures that would get hold of our tin of mustard, and would say, " This is not mustard, there ia
something else in it beside mustard," and they take up the English tin, and say, "This is mustard, there
is no mistake about that, there is nothing in it but mustard!'
49609. Do not you think that the very arguments that you are now using would be rather in your
favour than antagonistic, because upon your tin of mustard there is a label by which the public know it is
pure mustard ?-No, that is not the case. It says it contains "Other ingredients."
49610. Are you quite sure that Colman's mustard contains the same component parts of adulteration,
if we may so term it, as your mustard does ?-I could not be sure, but I think it is extremely likely, and it
is most probable. .
49611. You do not dispute Colman's mustard being pure ?-I do not dispute it; it is no more pure
than ours is, that particular brand.
49612. By the Hon Mr. Lorimer.-What is the relative value of your double superfine and Colman's
superfine ; do you aim at making the same quality as Colman's?-We do. We consider our "D.F.S.''
mustard is as good as Colman's "D.S.F."
49613. Have you any duty to pay upon yours ?-No.
49614. What duty has Colman to pay upon his ?-2d. a pound.
49615. Is not that more than an equivalent for the disadvantage of the label ?-No, it is not. If
Colman's goods are allowed to come in here without that clause coming into operation, I think it should
be struck off ours.
49616. What is your priee ?-Ss. 6d., retailing a box a time.
49617. How much is that ?-1s. 5d. a pouml.
49618. What is Colman's price in London for the same quality?-It is so long since I had anything
to do with it that I could not exactly tell you the price in London. I can tell you the price here.
49619. What is the price here ?-'fhe price of that quality is 9s. 6d.
49620. I want it by the pound ?-'fhat is Is. 7d.
49621. Just2d. a pound more than yours ?-Yes.
49622. That is the difference in the duty?-Yes.
49623. How is it that he has been able to get 2d. a pound more than you get ?-Just prejudice, I
suppose.
49624. Can you tell us what ad valorem this 2d. a pound comes to upon the average mustard imported
?-I do not know the London prices; but as a matter of fact very little mustard imported is sold in
the colony except" D.S.F ."
49625. It used to be 10 per cent. ad valorem, was it not; when was it increased, was not it in
1871; was that the increase of duty that increased your business in mustard?-Yes.
49626. It has added to the colonial production ?-Decidedly.
49627. Has it increased the price to the consumer ?-No, it has cheapened the price to the
consumer.
49628. Then, if the duty were reduced, do not you think the price would be reduced too ?-If the
duty were reduced, we simply could not make any more mustard ; we could not compete.