§ LORD WHARNCLIFFEpresented a petition from planters and merchants and others, of London, complaining of the adulteration of coffee, and praying for relief. He stated that the law prohibiting the adulteration of coffee was passed at the beginning of the present century, and continued in force until 1832, at which time it was illegal for a coffee dealer to have oh his premises chicory, or any articles which were known to be used for the purpose of adulterating coffee. Since the passing of the Order in Council in 1840, which suspended the operation of that law, the adulteration of coffee with chicory and other articles had been continually on the increase, seriously affecting the consumption of the genuine article, and deducting from the revenue of the country; for; since it had been found that chicory could be grown as well in England as in Germany, it was produced without any taxation whatever. The effect of that course of policy upon the coffee trade would be apparent upon a comparison of the imports, during the last five or ten years, with the imports of tea, sugar, and other articles. The population had been steadily increasing, and the consumption of articles of food of course likewise increased; but in the case of coffee, there had been a sensible decrease. In 1846 the account of cocoa imported for home consumption was 2,951,000 lbs.; in 1850, 3,103,000 lbs.; currants, in 1846, 358,000 cwt.; 1850, 405,000 cwt.; unrefined sugar, 1846, 5,220,000 cwt.; 1850, 6,130,000 cwt.; tea, 1846, 46,740,000 lbs.; 1850, 51,178,000 lbs.; tobacco, 1846, 26,596,000 lbs.; 1850, 27,538,000 lbs. This showed an increase during the five years of from 3½ to 12 per cent. But what was the case with respect to coffee? Why, in 1846, the quantity imported was 36,754,000 lbs.; and in 1850 it was reduced to 31,226,000 lbs. Notwithstanding the duty on tea was 200 per cent, the consumption of that article, during those five years, had increased 5½ per cent. If coffee had increased only in the same proportion, the amount consumed would have been 44,245,000 lbs. instead of 31,256,000 lbs., 127 being a difference of no less than 9,000,000 lbs., and a loss of duty of at least 200,000l. Independently of all other considerations, for the sake of the revenue alone, it was worth while for the Government to interfere. The complaints on this subject were met by the statement that chicory was wholesome, and that the public could protect themselves by purchasing coffee in berry. But he (Lord Wharncliffe) denied that chicory was wholesome, and it was well known that what was sold for coffee in berry was often adulterated. If the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made a general answer that the Government could not interfere effectually, because there were no means of knowing when fraud was committed, the mouths of petitioners would be stopped; but the fact was, that coffee was made an exception to the regulations in force with respect to the adulteration of other articles. In conclusion, the noble Lord said the petitioners were justified in their complaint, as without the interference of the Government it was impossible to put an end to the adulteration, and by not doing so the Government sanctioned and encouraged it.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, he should certainly not complain of the noble Earl having brought this subject before the attention of their Lordships. It was desirable that all grievances, whether fancied or real, should be discussed in that House; and although the Treasury Minute of which complaint was made had been the ground of debate in the House of Commons on more than one occasion, it had not, until now, been submitted to the consideration of their Lordships. The petition which had been presented was the petition of only one class of the community—the coffee producers; but it was alleged that the course adopted by Government was not only injurious to the revenue, but also to the public. With regard to the revenue itself he need not trouble their Lordships with any great details to show that it was inexpedient to make any change, because three Chancellors of the Exchequer following one another, having had the advantage of the best advice, had continued the Treasury Minute in force, and if not authorities on fiscal subjects, they were certainly not authorities on any other. He believed that the absence of chicory in the coffee used in France was not the cause of its excellence, but that the mode of making coffee was better understood in that country, and that chicory was mixed quite as 128 much, if not more, with the French coffee. It was said that good coffee was better than coffee mixed with chicory. That might be so, but good coffee mixed with chicory made a better beverage than the lower class of coffees free from that mixture. The evil to which the community was exposed was, to be obliged to use the mixture without being aware of it; but, without comparing the price with the amount of duty on coffee, and the value of coffee before paying duty, there was hardly a person who was not aware that such a mixture was made; indeed, if any doubts had hitherto existed, these debates would afford such publicity that it would be impossible for the public to be unaware of the mixing of chicory with coffee. As to the difficulty of taking home coffee and grinding it, it was greatly over-estimated; for in almost every house in France, however small, there was a coffee mill, and it was now one of the cheapest of domestic implements, by using which every person could be sure of being supplied with coffee itself. Some of the most respectable grocers had, from a deficiency of chicory, supplied their customers with real coffee, and the coffee was returned, because they preferred the mixture. Then as to the statistics of the noble Lord, they proved that the diminution of coffee was not attributable to this Minute, but to the increased consumption of cocoa and tea, the prices of which had been greatly diminished during the last few years. If it was possible to ensure that no chicory should be sold as coffee, it might be desirable for the Government to do so. To ensure chicory being sold as chicory, and coffee as coffee, it would be necessary to order that those who dealt in coffee should not sell chicory. There must obviously be a prohibition against selling both; and if the sale of chicory was checked, it would be most disadvantageous not only to the consumer, but to the agricultural interest. The Treasury Minute complained of was passed some years ago upon the representations of the retail dealers in the country, that as it was impossible for the Excise to prevent the admixture of chicory with coffee, those who sold coffee alone were subjected to most unfair competition with those who mixed chicory with coffee; and if it was difficult then to prevent the admixture, the difficulty would be increased tenfold now that the practice had been established. The interference of the Government would involve Excise prosecutions of the most 129 vexatious kind—the intermeddling with every grocer's shop in the country, and an amount of inconvenience quite insuperable. He (Earl Granville) had stated shortly why it was impossible for the Government to do that, which, if it could be done, would certainly be a desirable thing, namely, to prevent the sale of chicory as coffee. If the disadvantages of a change appeared to the Government to be greater than the advantages, the Government were not justified in making that change. Nevertheless they were obliged to the noble Lord for having brought the subject before the House, and given it thereby greater publicity, for he believed it was in the power of the community to remove some of the evils of which complaint was made.
§ Petition ordered to lie on the table.