The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-02-07

definiteness without an extended inves-
tigation; but certainly the conditions
are such as would invite and encour-
age the practice of adulteration or
dealing in adulterated goods to an I'M
limited extent. We know that some
very poor grades of food articles not
adulterated are brought into this mar
ket, and the same spirit would be apt
to prompt the importation of adulter-
ated goods Then, too, we know that
adulteration prevails to n greater or
less extent in those places which are
the main sources of our supplies. In
California, our nearest neighbor, / am
not aware that any legislative attempt
has been made to control food adulter-
alton, except as regards dairy products
and wine. 1t would not necessarily
benefit US, if there were rigid laws in all
the States against adulteration; for, al
though manufacturers might be careful
TO make pure articles for home use, they
would be greatly tempted to adUlter-
ate goods which were to be exported
to places where there would be little
danger of detection. This very thing
has occurred in England. When manu-
facturers were afraid TO put adulterated
EObuS On tllt nOillt llidAhCis lutN
poured them into the United States
and Will continue TO do so until Con-
gress enacts a law to prevent the prac-
tice. In the absence of law, the lead
ing grocers OF New York combined in
self protection TO engage permanent
force of chemists TO examine all their
importations, thus efficiently protect
ing themselves and their patrons.
Even if adulteration prevails at the
places which supply us with food, it
does not necessarily follow that we
cannot get pure foods, for we know
better. 1t is safe to say that the ex-
tent to which adulterated foods are
brought to these islands depends upon
the integrity and intelligence of our
tradesmen. If they handle impure
goods selling them for genuine at the
price of pure articles, they either must
do it consciously and purposely and,
therefore, dishonesty, or else, what is
nearly as censurable, ignorantly and
carelessly. If a dealer wishes to ham
die pure goods he can find out without
any great difficulty what houses he can
depend upon to furnish him such
goods; if he does not know any such
houses, it speaks i'll either of his bust
ness intelligence or his honesty If
customers insist on having goods at
prices at which pure articles cannot be
furnished, let them have what they ask
for but let them at the same time know
just what they are buying. If buyers
always knew exactly what they were
getting and paid for it exactly what it
was worth, the practice of adulteration
would cease to be attractive.
There are two ways in which this
question can be settled in this COM
munity. In the first place, the hand
ling of adulterated goods can be regu-
lated or prohibited by law, adequate
means being provided to make the law
effective. In the second place, the
tradesmen can combine, in the alb
sence of any law, to regulate the inn
portation of impure goods, as is done
in New York City.
Some phases of this question l have
considered very imperfectly or not at
all, and / should be glad to discuss
them more fully, but this paper has
already gone beyond the limits origin
ally assigned to it.