The herald., 1898-12-17
A BLOW TO CALIFORNIA TRADE
IN MEXICO
CARLOAD coNFIscATED
The Wine Ordered From H. ]. Woolla-
colt, but the California Associa-
tion Seems Culpable

varro of the City Of Mexico, who represents
II. j. Woollacott Of this city. Mr.. Woolla-
colt does not seem to be to blame in the
matter, as he has been exonerated by Cosmo
Morgan, the representative of the California
Wine association in this city, from whom
the shipment was ordered. 1t seems, accord
ing to the Two Republics, that thrty-three
barrels of California wine consigned to Fed
erico Navarro have just been seized by the
wine gaugers employed by the city health
department on the ground that the wine was
found to contain salicylic acid, substance
declared by Mexican authority to be dan
gerous to health. And that is not all the
mischief which the recklessness Of the Cal
ifornians who shipped the wine have done
Mr.. Navarro, for his customers are return
ing him all the same kind of wine he has sold
them before, in order to avoid seizure of the
same on their premises and fine and impris-
onment for having adulterated wine in their
stock of merchandise. These returns amount
to from one to ten barrels in each case. A
few of Mr.. Navarro's customers have indeed
already fallen under the law by having
stock purchased from Navarro seized. They
are all looking, of course, to him for re-
dress. The measure taken by the authorities
is stern, but entirely just, and only the
result OF the recklessness Of the
California shippers, who are in the habit of
adding salicylc acid to very young wine to
age it in order to be able to class it as
a higher grade.
Mr.. Navarro was seen last evening by a
representative of the Two Republics and
freely admitted that the authorities had
done nothing but what was right in the
premises, as the analysis made since the
seizure by his own instigation fully con-
cured with that of the health officers, and
the wine should never have been brought
to Mexico.
81 associated myself" he stated, with a
couple of young business men in Los An.
geles, CAL, for the importation of wines
from that locality into Mexico, feeling con-
vnced that with the display OF push and
energy a very good market could be built
up for the California product. We were
just beginning to reap some profit from the
venture when it seems the exporter from
whom we bought in the best of faith con-
oeved the diabolical idea to increase his
profits by shipping us doctored article in
stead Of the pure article to which we were
entitled as we agreed to pay higher price
than is paid for any California wine brought
to this city in carload lots. The shipper in
this case was Mr.. Woollacott, and the
wrong he has caused is almost irretrieva-
BILE, as he has not only cast discredit upon
the California wine business, but also ex-
poses myself and others to very serious con-
sequences. The law regarding adulterated
articles is very strict in Mexico.
1t does not only provide for the
seizure and destruction of the adulterated
articles, but also imposes heavy money fines
and imprisonment upon the unlucky mer-
chant who offers the stuff for sale, not TAX
ing into consideration whether or not the
respective merchant was aware of the adul-
teration and that he can make satisfactory
explanation OF the fraud which has evident
ly been committed, but there is no doubt
as to his responsibility from every stand
point for the great wrong committed and
the costly damage done. had just settled
the freight and duties on the shipment,
amounting to 1920, which is, of course,
total loss. Upward of $250O of outstanding
accounts cannot be collected now, because
the people who owe them are returning to
me all the stock left on their hands. 9th
crs who do not owe are returning their
stocks also and are looking to me to make
good their losses. The value of the wine
contiscated amounts to about $780, OF
course | cannot now estimate the money
damage this whole business has caused, but
it is very considerable"
Mr. Navarro is not the first victim in
Mexico of the contemplate business prac-
ticed by California shippers in doctoring
young wines with salicylic acid. Carlos
Hirschberg, head of one of the oldest wine
importing houses in the city, had similar
experience about seven months ago, though
not on so large a scale, as the seizure ex-
tended to only few barrels, sample ship
ment, and he was able to stop carload
that was on the way. In that case the
wine had been bought from sample which
had been anayzed and found to be abso-
lutely pure. Mr.. Hirschberg got off with
the payment of wines for himself and sew
eral customers, whose goods bought from
him were seized, by showing his own abso
lutte innocence nd that the shipper anlone
was to blame.
1t is very much to be hoped, not alone for
the sake Of Mr.. Navarro but also in the
interest of American trade with Mexico,
that Mr.. Woollacott or whoever else has
been guilty of defrauding Mr.. Navarro and
his customers by shipping doctored instead
of pure wines will make all restitution in
his power, and that the California wine
shippers will adopt some sort of system to
protect their customers and their trade
against the infamous fraud that has been
practiced in the present case.
The seizure has extended only to clarets,
the zinfandels, reslings, muscatels and an
gelcas imported by Mr.. Navarro being free
from any admixture.
Mr.. Morgan, the agent referred to above,
when asked about the matter gave the fol-
lowing statement, which he signed.
[Copy.]
"My attention has been called to an arti-
Gle appearing in the Two Republics which
states that the Mexican government had
confiscated a shipment of wines made by
Mr.. H. j. Woollacott of Los Angeles, on the
grounds that they were adulterated.
"This is entirely false. The wines re-
ferred to were shipped direct by the Cali
fornia Wine association Of San Francisco,
which concern is entirely responsible for it.
(SiSned.) "COSMO MORGAN,
agent California Wine Association"
Mr.. Wcolacott corroborated in detail the
statement of Mr.. Morgan of the California
Wine association that the goods were
shipped direct from San Francisco to Mex.
ico by the California Wine association, and
that he is entirely blameless in the matter.
Ii was learned that all the wines which Mr..
Woolacott himself handles are carefully
analyzed and that the greatest care is ta-
ken to see that the wines are absolutely
pura hafora sb;1r, NJ fro ~, h;s nc nc IN T oe