§ DR. CLARK (Caithness)asked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether his attention has been called to the evidence given by George H. Webster, of Chicago, before the Committee at Washington, as reported in The Chicago Tribune; whether it is the case that the American so-called refined lard is composed of about 60 per cent of lard, 25 per cent of cotton seed oil, and 15 per cent of beef fats, and the mixture is stiffened with lard stearine; whether the manufacturers of lard in America use about $4,000,000 worth of cotton seed oil, and about $2,000,000 181 worth of beef fats; whether a large portion of this adulterated lard is sold as a food in this country under the name of refined lard; and, whether the present Acts against adulteration will meet this case?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)The Board of Trade have not received a copy of The Chicago Tribune, referred to by the hon. Member; but they have official information as to the extensive use of cotton seed oil in the United States in the manufacture of lard. The substance of this information was published in The Board of Trade Journal for March. How far this adulterated lard is sold in the United Kingdom as food it would be impossible to say; but lard is imported in considerable quantities from the United States. As to how far existing Acts against adulteration will meet such a case, I am not in a position to give an authoritative opinion; but it would, no doubt, be contrary to the object of these Acts to sell an adulterated importation as genuine lard of home production.