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MISBRANDING BILLS

HEARINGS

BEFORE

THE COMMITTEE ON

INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

H. R. 16, H. R. 732, H. R. 739, H. R. 3225,
and H. R. 4141

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TRUTH IN FABRICS AND MERCHANDISE MISBRANDING

BILLS

COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Tuesday, April 15, 1924.

The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., Hon. Samuel E. Winslow (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The purpose of this hearing is to consider all bills which have been filed with the committee on the general subjects of truth in fabrics and misbranding. In the course of several years we have had bills on these subjects before the committee, and in the second Congress before this the committee considered a truth in fabrics bill.

As time has gone on, the interests of communities and Members of the House of Representatives have been directed toward these subjects until now we have a dozen of the two combined. They are more or less interlaced, and I think a study of them as we proceed will develop an appreciation of the fact that we could hardly take up any one of them without having to go back and ultimately perhaps modify our conclusions in the event of considering some of the other bills. There are about a dozen subjects involved specifically by name in these bills. Originally the truth in fabrics was pretty much of a straightaway bill and had the support of people particularly who were interested in wool known as "virgin wool," and out of that interest grew a desire to have woolens, particularly, marked as to their content so that the public would know what they were buying at least, so far as the marks might give them information.

As the subject has developed, the misbranding question has grown out of the original intention and purpose of what we call here the French bill, until it has seemed wise to us to take up the two general subjects together. That conclusion has been reached after knowledge has come to us to the effect that some of those most interested in the truth in fabrics bill, heretofore, have indicated that perhaps a misbranding bill could be made up in such a form as to provide for their particular interests, and on the other hand, some of those who were opposed to the truth in fabrics bill as we have come to know it, have indicated that maybe a misbranding bill can be developed so as to meet their approval and cover efficiently the truth in fabrics subject. The chairman, under ordinary circumstances, is expected to lay out the line of procedure in a hearing of this kind, subject always to the determination of the committee, and so in order to get started the chairman has undertaken to make a beginning as to procedure. There are many witnesses here and many to come, and they all have most pressing engagements as one can imagine and many of them can not afford to stay here after to-day. The result of that is tha,t they will probably all have to stay here more than to-day, with the exception of one or two who are residents here anyway.

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