Morris tribune., 1896-11-25
FAKE LABELS COMMON.
Domestic Wines Easily Passed For the
Imported Article.

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Imported Article.
Within a few miles of the New
York Mail and Express building,
says that journal, there is a
printing establishment whose chief
source of revenue is the prepara-
ton of labels for druggists, sa-
loon keepers, grooers and bottlers.
There is considerable of the legiti-
mate about the business, but there
is also little of the questionable.
The stock on hand consists of thou
sands of various kinds of labels
which can be had at few minutes
notice. Those that may be required
and not found in the regular stock
can be had at "a hours notice. A big
percentage of the labels turned out
here are what may be termed for
geries-that is, they are limitations
of labels that are copyrighted or
protected" by trademark. 1t is
known absolutely that the establish
ment makes a business, and a big
business at that, of supplying fake
houses with forgeries of labels of
some successful and we'll advertised
goods. It is generally known that
the labels are forgeries, and it is ad-
mitted that they are such and moth
ing else, but it is no easy matter
recognizing them as limitations. The
workmanship and skill displayed
in making the counterfeits are ex-
oellent.
All the wine cellars of Europe are
to be found in the salesman S sam
pie book, if one goes there with the
intention of doing business. The Pc
ouliar type and paper of Russia, the
plain everyday labels of England,
the unattractive woodcuts and an
tiquated printing of Germany, the
artistic and picturesque designs of
France and the inartistio and thor
oughly uninviting labels of Italy are
all there, ready for the purchaser.
It is a queer business, and a Mail
and Express reporter SO told the
clerk whom he saw there the other
day.
mot a bit of it, said the clerk.
1--WE do not make any pretensions
in this business. Our chief custom
ers are saloon keepers. It's none of
our business what they do with
these labels. What they do, howev>
or, we fully understand. Suppose
that a man we're to go into saloon
where these labels are used and call
for bottle of a particular kind of
wine. Well, it happens to be all out,
but the saloon keeper has another
brand equally as good perhaps. All
he has to do is to remove the objec-
tionable label and substitute one of
those purchased here Who knows
the difference, and, knowing, cares?
The real sufferer is the wine buyer,
of course, but he does not know that
any imposition has been practiced.
Now, were the saloon keeper to tell
him that the last bottle of the par
ticular kind of wine asked for had
been sold, the chances are that the
place would lose regular customer
or the prospect of securing one.
Then, take some of the houses where
greenhorns, countrymen and would
be bloods flock to. The bartender
knows a wine drinker when he sees
one, and, with the others-well. what
is the use of giving guy good
wine when he does not know what
he is drinking? One of these labels
fixes all that. The bartender who
knows his business can give him a
bottle of wine costing so cents and |
the countryman is happy because he
pays the full price for an imitation
and he does not know it.
II personally have seen a party |
of dudes quarreling over imitation
wines and trying to convince each |
other which was the best. AS a mat
ter of fact they we're talking because
they saw one of these fake labels on
the bottle and thought they we're
getting the genuine stuff. Our GUS
toners? Can't say that they are all
from Broadway. It's none of my
business, as have said, what they
do with these labels. The handsom-