The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-11-24
FOOD ADULTERATION
Senator Mason Resumes His Inves-
tigation into the Matter.
DYES USED IN TEMPERANCE DRINKS,
The Industrial Commissions Inquiry at
Chicago-An Offer to Turn Over H.
600 Miners to the knights
of Labor.

New York, Nov. 1S.-The United
States senate committee, represented
by Senator Mason, of Illinois, yester-
day resumed its investigation into the
adulteratioh of food prepared for the
market. William II. Zeltner, a brewer
in this city for 25 years, was the first
witness. He said he believed there
should be national law controlling
the standard of purity of beer. The
standard should be fixed on basis OF
barley malt. Mr.. Zeltner said corn
and other grains were nutritious, but
are not to be compared with malt. He
favored law forbidding the use of
any grain but barley, and if that was
impracticable, a law compelling brew
ers to issue labels giving the component
parts of their beer.
DIR. Edward II. Jenkins, an agricul-
tural chemist, vice director of the Con-
necticut agricultural experiment sta
ton, declared that the general adul-
iteration of food products had increased
with the business competition and the
demand for cheap wares. In his five
years experience DR.. Jenkins said he
had found only one aduterant that was
poisonous and that was coloring
matter in temperance drink. Cocoa
shells, prune stones and the like, he
testified, were sold as spices. None of
these adulterants, except the one color,
was hurtful to health, but all were
frauds on the consumer. More than
half the jellies examined were made of
glucose and starch paste colored with
artificial coloring, favored with ar
tificial flavoring and preserved with
salicylic acid. The cheaper grades of
coffee were found to contain a large
proportion of Canada peas, pea pellets,
wheat middlings and chicory.
DIR. Jenkins presented for the in
struction of Senator Mason a number
of small bottles containing the coffee
adulterants and imitation coffee beans,
adulterated mustard which is 30 per
cent. plaster of paris, pepper that is IS
per cent. charcoal, sawdust and flour,
and cayenne pepper that is less than
ten per cent. pure pepper Tomato
catsup, the witness said, is made from
the cores of tomatoes artiticially col
ored and preserved with salicylc acid.
of 80 samples of olives, 20 adulter-
ated with cotton seed oil. OF 40 sam
pies of beer tasted IL contained
salicylic acid, while of seven samples
of ale six were pure Speaking of the
dyes used in temperance drinks, DR..
Jenkins said experiments had shown
that one glass of raspberry soda had
sufficient aniline dye to color a piece
of flannel five inches square.
THE INDUSTRIAL COMMISSIONS INQUIRY.
Chicago, Nov. IS. Warehouse men
and others against whom charges of
discrimination have been made before
the sub-commission of the United
States industrial commission were
given an opportunity TO state their
side of the case. They took up the ar
guments of their accusers, one by one,
and not only denied that their method
of doing business is a detriment to
the good of others, but tried to show
that they manage their affairs so that
a majority of the shippers and pro-
ducers are benefited. Charles Coun-
selman, commission merchant, was the
first defender of his fellow warehouse
men before the sub-commission on
transportation. He was followed by
w. II. Bartlett and j. G.. SnydaclIer,
declaring against the statements that
there existed an unfair combination of
elevators and railroad companies
George II. Webster president of the
Armour Elevator company and for
nearly 80 years associated with p d..
Armour in his grain and packing bust
ness, was before the subcommittee.
He admitted that Armour is in a COM
bination with Charles Counselman,
whereby nrices for grain in the west