Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-04
A MILK. INSPECTOR NEEDED.
Our Defective Laws in Relation to Food
Adulteration.

Adulteration.
EVEN WHERE THE LAWS ARE CLEAR AND pHF1-
MITE THERE Is no OFFICIAL TO DETECT VIOLA
TIoNs OF THEM AND PROSECUTE OFFENDERS
THE SALE OF SKINNED MILK
Chief Clerk McGinn of the Health Office said
to STAR reporter this morning that there
should be an inspector Of milk for the District
To attend to even half dozen cases a week, he
said, would require the entire attention of one
man on account of the various and complicated
acts that have to be performed in order to
comply with the provisions of existing laws.
There should also be chemist appointed, he
| says, to look after violations Of the food adul.
teration act The present inspector of asphalt
and concrete, he said, lends what assistance in
that direction he can to the health Office, but to
properly look after the work would require
the attention of a person who has not q dozen
other things to attend to.
THE HEALTH OFFICERS RECOMMENDATIONS.
| In the annual report of Health Officer
Townshend made two years ago, under the
head Of recommendations he said: II have
| heretofore called the attention of the COM
| missioners to the urgent necessity for provid
| ing this Office with the service of competent
| chemist. This need has been keenly felt
| during the past year.
I'm my letter of April 10 1 called attention
| TO the current reports relative to adulteration
OF food and drink in this city, and stated in
terms az strong as possible the necessity for
| having the entire time of a competent, reliable
| analyst at the disposal of the department
| There is hardly board of health or health de-
partment in any city with population over
$500 not properly provided with such assist
ance. Prof. Richardson, who is employed as
inspector of asphalt and cement under the
| engineer department. and who has been dong
| small amount of emergency work for us, in
formed me that it would only be possible for
| him to give portion of one day in the week to
| any work of ours, combining his analysis to six
! samples, and further that, after July l his time
| would be much more occupied by his legiti-
mate duties. In view of these facts / trust
| that the Commissioners will urge upon the at
tention OF the committees In Congress the par
OF such an official to be attached to this depart
| nent."
| +. THE LAW PASSED AT THE LAST SESSION.
One of the bills passed by the last Congress was
| In reference to food authorizations, but thus far
| no prosecutions have been instituted under that
| law, section of which reads as follows: THAT no
person shall, with the intent that the same NAV
be sold in its altered state without notice, SUBJ
tract from any article Of food any part of it so
as to affect injuriously its quality, substance or
nature, and no person shall sell any article SO
| altered without making disclosure of the alter
alton, and any person violating the provisions
OF this section shall be guilty of misdemeanor
and fined not exceeding $780,"
Section IL of the act provides that the analy-
| sis provided for in this act shall be under the
control of the Commissioner of Internal Reve-
| nue., under such rules and regulations as may
be prescribed by the Secretary OF the Treas
| ury."
Section - provides the manner in which
cases are to be instituted under the act as fol-
lows: That any purchaser of an article of food
or OF drug In the said District shall be enti-
tied to have such article analysed by such
analyst and to receive from him certificate of
| the result OF his analysis, and any health
officer, inspector of nuisances or any food in
spector may procure any sample of food or
drug, and if he suspects the same to have been
| sold to him contrary to any provision Of this
act he shall submit the same to the Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue to be analysed, who
| shall with all convenient speed cause such
| analysis to be made and give certificate to
| such officer, wherein he shall specify the re-
| suit OF the analysis"
NO MILK DEALERS PROSECUTED.
Soon after the bill became law samples of
milk were obtained from dealers for analysis,
| and it was given out that persons selling i'm
pure or SKINNED milk for the genuine article
would be prosecuted. Whatever the result OF
| the analysis was no milk dealers were prose-
| cuted, nor have any other violators Of the law,
except OleOmargarine sellers, been called to
account.
AS TO THE SALE OF SKINNED MILK.
| As the term food is made by the act to in
clude every article used for food or drink by man
other than drugs or water it is claimed that
the sale of skinned milk, unless the dealer
should make known to the customer that the
cream had been removed. is prohibited bv the
law and subjects the dealer to the penalties
prescribed by the act On the other hand it is
| said that there is some indefniteness about the
| law that would render successful prosecution
under it not without Its difficulties, The act
does not make especial reference to the sale of
| milk such as the laws in many states do In
| most states the laws require the milk to reach
a certain standard and contain certain per
cent OF solids, and it is not unusual Ill cities
to hear OF hundreds Of gallons OF milk being
| dumped into river or sewer because it fails
to come up to the standard
Under the local law above quoted it is
claimed that the milk men here must furnish
the article rs it comes from the COW or else
make known the fact OF its having been
skinned or watered but there is no person
assigned to the duty of milk inspection, as there
| Is i'll other large cities There is plenty of law
but no one appointed to see to its enforce
ment.
AN OLD LAW STILL IN FORCE.
Should the act mentioned above fail to cover
a case of skinned or adulterated milk there is
law which specifically applies to the offense
II is the act of July 80, 1885, section of which
provides
That no person shall offer for sale within
the cities Of Washington or Georgetown any
unwholesome. watered or adulturated milk, or
swil milk or milk from cows kept up
| and fed on garbage, swill or other
deleteriOus snbstance nor shall any
person offer for sale within said cities any
butter or cheese made from such unwholesome
milk and any person violating the provisions
of this section shall, upon conviction, be pun
| ished by fine of not less than five nor more
than twenty five dollars for each and every such
offense."
Marriage Licenses.
Marriage licenses have been issued by the
clerk of the court to John Bonaccorsy and
Isabel Hall: Sherman A. Green and Georpiana