MERCHANDISE MISBRANDING BILLS. COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE, Friday, March 19, 1920. The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. John J. Esch (chairman), presiding. The CHAIRMAN. This morning we begin hearings on misbranding and misrepresentation bills, bills for this purpose having been introduced by Mr. Barkley, H. R. 2855; by Mr. French, H. R. 11641; by Mr. Rogers, H. R. 13073, with a subsequent print, H. R. 13136; by Mr. Rainey, H. R. 11891, with a subsequent print, H. R. 13111. I understand Mr. Rogers desires to be heard this morning very briefly as he has to leave the city. Are you ready to proceed, Mr. Rogers? STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN JACOB ROGERS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. Mr. ROGERS. As the chairman has stated, the bill which I am asking the committee to consider to-day is H. R. 13136, which is a revision of the bill which I introduced in the House a few days ago, H. R. 13073. I have had bills upon this general subject pending before the committee for a number of years, and simply for the sake of the record I should like to refer to those predecessors of the present bill. I introduced in the Sixty-third Congress, on February 17, 1914, H. R. 13492, and in the Sixty-fourth Congress, on March 11, 1916, I introduced H. R. 13049. Both of those bills and the present bill are based upon three statutes, all of which are very well known, all of which have stood the test of time, and all of which have been extremely salutary in their operation. The first of the three is the British merchandise marks act of 1887, the second is the pure food and drug act of the United States of June 30, 1906, and the third is the so-called insecticide act of 1910. I rather think, Mr. Chairman, that it might be helpful for the committee and for those reading these hearings if the two American statutes should be reprinted in full as a part of the hearing, and also the material sections of the British merchandise marks act. The CHAIRMAN. Are those available? Mr. ROGERS. I have them here, and I shall be glad to hand them to the reporter. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, they may be inserted in the record. Mr. ROGERS. The British merchandise marks act is quite long, and it does not seem worth while to cumber the record with the entire 5 |