, 1882-01-14
room
NE san fsaneiseo Press Asisat.ns tie Sub.
ject Of Impure Baking Powders.
The Evsl IN 4 Radical PORN

The flishtfdl and dangerous adulte.a,;on,
praetieed by baking powder manufacturers i
exciting An increased and widespread alArn
among Consumers. The evil has a.taineS
greater dimensions than the mrt estrem,
slarmist could have imagined
In city like New York, a government
chemist makes an analytical examination and
discioses the fact that = very large proportion
If powders sold there are made Of alum. Ths
action Of alum on the human stomach is IRE.
eiSely the same az on the mouth; It draws and
FUCKERS it all up, producing all sorts Of un
pleasant and dangerous disorders. In Ger.
many, England and France, any one fonnd
! manufacturing and selling alum powders i
| subject TO heavy fine and imprisonment, but
in this State ef California may be found hund
reds Of brands made of this poisonous chemical
Pure baking powders should be made of gra,e
cream tartar, which costs from 80 to A. cents
per pound. Many irresponsible and reckless
manufacturers make this important domestic
article from alum, which costs but cents per
pound. The Royal Raking Powder Company
Of New York, n wealthy and honorable cor
pnration, the largest consumers Of grape cream
tartar in The world, in their efforts to intro
duce their goods on this market were con.
frOnted by an army Of alum powders, which
were sappins and undermining the health OF
this community. If the average citizen were
told that his oft-repeated attack Of dyspepsia.
constipation, heartburn, etc, arose from
using an impure anu poisonous baking powder,
he would probably pass it by an idle, sensa-
tional assertion, yet such is the tact.
Did any one Of our lady readers, in her pur.
chases Of domestic supplies ever notice that her
grocer had nearly always brand Of powders
put up under his own name!
If she had an analysis from cnmpetent
chemist, it would tell her that in nearly every
case she was being offered poison in its most
DANGEROUS and subtle form not poison that
quickly kills-for the dose is not large enough
but poison that viii slowly and surely under
mine the health Of her little ones. The ques-
tion arises why do grocers have their powders
put up under their own names, instead Of
having some well kown, pure and reliable
brand of powder. 1t is simply because their
profit is larger this way. Their powder is
made of alum, at one-eighth the cost of cream
tartar powder, and they are enabled to sell it
in competition with an honest article like the
Royal Baking Powder, and make enormous
profit. Nearly all the powders sold by the
Crocerymen Of this city, under their own name,
are made by prominent manufacturers here.
and are composed of alum; and the only safe.
guard housewife has is to buy an honest
cream tartar powder, made by some response
bic manufacturer
A series Of researches in San Francisco, on
the part of Professor Hanks, the state chemist.
shows that out Of ten different private corner
grocery brands, selected at random, every one
contained alum other impurities, and eight
were short weight, some of them 81 per cent.
The names Of these powders are not here given.
for il is scarcely believed that the lsrOcers were
aware Of what they were buying and having
put up under their own Names, but the samples
and reports are III the possession Of MIR.
Hanks.
We make the suggestion 10 every reader of
this paper to consider whether the pitiful saw
ing arising from the purchase Of cheap bak
ing powder compensates for the loss OF health
incurred After the repeated warnings Of
science, any mother who continues the use of
these poisonous compounds, Dies so with
fearful penalty hanging over her head. Go
ask yOuI family doctor if alum baking powders
are dangerous and he guided by.hi3 advice.
In the East, where this subject is exciting
inte sest, DIR. Halls Journal of Heath says, in
a recent issue:
Before committing ourselves, however, we
made tests q 4 sufficient number Of baking
powders 10 satisfy ourselves that the substitu-
tion Of alum for cream Of tartar in their COM
position has not been over-estimated, while 4
careful examination of the Royal Baking Pow
der confirms our belief that DIR. Mott, the
government chemist. when he singled out and
commended this powder far its whOlesOmeness
did it wholly in the interest Of the public. We
10 not hesitate to say that the Royal Baking
Powder people deserve the gratitude of the
community whom they are endeavoring to
protect IS H. Call