Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-01-04
Commercial Frauds.

ARBITRATION OF SPICES AND WINES
CHEATING IN WEIGHT AND MEAS
URE.
A friend of ours, recently returned
from Eur rope, informs us that while at
Malaga he was asked to buy almond
shells. Not knowing to what use
they were put, was infOrmed-and has
since found it to be true-that parties
In New York have for year or two
past imported several cargoes, to be
ground and mixed with spices, prlncl-
pally cassia, which when ground it 50
nearly resembles that it cannot be de.
tected by the eye. That all sorts OF
ground spices have been for long
time largely adulterated is fact well
known to most people. Cassia is mix
ed with ground almond shells, pepper
with parched peas, ginger with corn
meal, mustard, ditto, cloves and other
spices with various cheap substances
that cannot be detected with the eye.
TIE such an extent is this fraudulent
business carried, that we unhesitating-
" say that not One-half of what is sold
for ground spices is what it purports
to be and this is not all of the fraud
practieed in these articles, they are
mostly put in packages of from one
fourth to one pound papers for the re-
tail trade. If any one will take the
trouble to weigh these packages, he
will find, as a rule, he is cheated in
weight as we'll as quality. Spices are
not the only article that the public are
cheated in. About all the canned
fruits, vegetables, fish and meats, that
are sold for one-half or more pounds
to the can, fall largely short in weight
of what they purpOrt to be; in some
t c. ses the consumer doesn't get more
> than half what he pays for. While Oh
the subject of adulteration Of what
: we eat, we will also mention thu
!. deliberations of what we drink, viz
|, Wines and liquors, which unfortunate
3 ly our tariff fosters to large extent
: the temperate habits, and consequent
3 ly the health of the people seems tt
: be lost sight of by our wise law max
Q ers.
t The cheap and pure wines of Spain
0 Italy and Germany are virtually ex
@ Guided by our absurd adjustments o
Y the tariff. Wines that cost less thai
e 40 cents gallon pay duty of 20 cent
e gallon in gold; those costing owe
40 and not over 60 cents gallon
|. and those that cost over 60 cents, 81
:. Only rich people can use the fin
e sherries and Madeiras, and it make
:. little odds what the duty is; but eve
/. nv one acquainted with the cost @
IS wines in Europe, knows that pure
a wholesome wines cannot be at abou
n 80 cents; consequently the poor me
h must use deleteriOus trash or chea
e whisky, and become drrrIkaras.
r. 1t is fact well known that in cOul
t. tries where they have cheap whole
Of come wines there is but little drunk
,e enness. The records of our polio
q SQUIRT show the contrast with us. TIL
4. duty on brandy, gin, whisky and run
ir was reduced by Congress not lon
% since; but on cheap wines, by tn
]. present tariff, it was increased. ID
E. our wise tariff makers want to make I
II a nation of drunkardsg DO they wal
20 to deprive the poor of cheap an
q. wholesome luxury Has the poor ma
d. no friend among our makers
as The absurdity of our prcsel
e. tariff is apparent to every practlc
I'd business man. Let us cite an j
10 stance. Shelled almonds, or almor
;e. meats, pay ten cents, gold, duty p
ne pound. while all sorts OF almonds
ne the shell pay six cents per pOun
I'd They cost in Europe from three
10. twenty cents, say from hard shell
ri the paper shell. 1t takes Oh an ave
no age, three pounds in the shell to NAL
90 one pound of meats. While the hal
he shell sort pays two hundred per cen
the paper 1.-THE rich mans luxury pa.
he only fifty per cent. We could she
ito numerous other equally unjust al
Ia absurd illustrations of our prese
oh tariff. In England the duty on ;
70 monds is on the meat, and not on I
it's shells and while we are trying
If exclude cheap and wholesome win,
,ta they are making an effort to have
the wines admittee at unifol
rate of one shilling the gallon, so
A possible, to have people use them
eli stead of ardent spirits. Are we I
ISIS wise to profit by the experience
tv. others or is our policy to tax t
no labOring classes from two to f0
-ift times as much as rich on his che
MS necessaries and luxuries III BoS1
re. Journal Of Commerce.
or RAISING FRUIT IN THE SHADE
Id writer in the Fruit Recorder, evide
emf ly a clergyman, contributes the resu
~, tho cho1o.