Description:The University of Birmingham Special Collections hold a range of legal documents pertaining to the Cadbury Bros Ltd v The Standard Newspapers Limited legal case. The range of documents include a ‘Statement of claim 30 November 1908’ submitted by Cadbury as evidence.
One essential ingredient in Cadbury’s success as manufacturers of cocoa products and chocolate was the cocoa pod. Cadbury acquired their raw material from a number of sources during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries, including their own plantation in Trinidad. They also acquired cocoa through the London and Liverpool Cocoa Markets who were suppliers to Britain, Germany and America. The Cocoa Markets sourced material from a number of places, including plantations in San Thomé and Principie, two islands in West Africa. The cocoa from these islands was particularly popular among cocoa producers due to its consistent availability.<small><sup>1</sup></small>
On 26 September 1908, the Standard newspaper published an article reporting on Cadbury’s imminent investigation into ‘conditions of slavery’ on plantations in San Thomé. The bulk of the article accused Cadbury of complacency, questioning why ‘Cadbury’s voyage of discovery has been deferred so long’. On 5 October 1908 Cadbury submitted a libel claim against the Standard newspaper. This noted that the Standard accused Cadbury of being ‘callous and indifferent to the conditions under which those who contributed to the production of cocoa for their manufacture worked’ Cadbury also claimed that the article had ‘been and will be injured on [Cadbury’s] credit and reputation’. Throughout the trial both George Cadbury and his son William were questioned. Through this investigation it was established that, as early as 1901, William Cadbury was informed by a ‘casual acquaintance’ that labour conditions on the cocoa plantations in San Thomé and Principie were akin to enslavement. The following year the sale of a plantation offered further proof, when sale deeds listed ‘a number of labourers’ as plantation assets.<small><sup>2</sup></small> William Cadbury’s 1909 publication Labour in Portuguese West Africa, gave details of the action that Cadbury and other cocoa producers took to address the issue of contracted labour on these islands, explaining why it had taken so long. The libel trial lasted seven days, resulting in Cadbury winning the case and being cleared of all charges
<font color="#666633"><small><sup>1</sup> Statement of Claim, 30 November 1908, p.55 [UBSC: Cadbury 1/1-8]
<sup>2</sup> Iolo Williams, The Firm of Cadbury: 1831-1931 (London, 1931), p.191</small></font>