Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 523

( 22 )

Then you know of no spirits sold which contain any injurious bodies besides ethers and higher alcohols?-No; I know of no injurious bodies present in spirits, except alcohol to which the intoxication can be attributed.

You know of no reported analysis where deleterious bodies which would produce violent intoxication have been found ?-No; many times I have seen the assertion that such bodies exist in cheap whiskies, but I have seen no analysis which has discovered any substance which has produced madness or the appearance of having been drugged in the consumer of cheap whiskies.

Supposing you take a bottle of whiskey and add a couple of ounces of sulphuric ether, would that make a man intoxicated quicker than if the ether had not been added?

-Yes.

Is anything of the sort ever added ?—No. I doubt very much whether a man would drink whiskey containing two ounces of ether; he would at once detect there was something wrong with it.

Dr. STEDMAN.—I have known men to drink methylated spirits for the sake of the spirit, and they would not be deterred from drinking whiskey because there was a cer- tain amount of ether in it.

Mr. BROWNE. If a man were drinking whiskey containing two ounces of ether he would at once detect it.

Dr. STEDMAN. There is one other question with regard to samshu, and that is whether during the time you have inspected these distilleries you have always found the rice of good quality ?—The probability is that decayed rice would so affect the samshu that there would be no sale for it. I found that the samshu distillers were particularly careful as regards the quality of the ric: they used and also of the cleanli- ness of their utensils. I think it would be strange if they used decomposed rice for samshu-making.

Dr. STEDMAN. - -It does not sound likely, of course.

The CHAIRMAN.-It would affect the business.

Mr. BROWNE.-Yes.

The CHAIRMAN.—I remember the sinking of a junk laden with rice, and the rice was got out of it as the vessel lay under water. I was told it was wanted for samshu. That was the general idea.

Dr. STEDMAN. The smell was so bad from the rice that one of the men engaged in getting it up became unconscious.

a very

inferior

Mr. BROWNE.—I consider that, were such rice used for samshu, spirit would result, and further I doubt if there would be a sale for the product.

Rev. R. F. COBBOLD.-You said in the early part of your evidence that one of your informants had said that samshu had been carried into barracks?—Yes.

Is that done to any extent ?—A case happened a few weeks ago and the offenders were punished and steps taken so that such a thing should not occur again.

The Commission then adjourned.