Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-08-18
THE PURE FOOD LAW.
HOW IT WILL AFFECT CERTAIN
PRODUCTS.

TOW the Enforcement OF the Statute VIII DC III
ausurated-Some Of Its Benefits-Rulins!
Regarding Some Of the Staple Articles Ere
quentIy Counterfeited.
Statement from the State Chemist.
1t is several months since the pure
food law went into force. During thai
period l have devoted my time inves
tigating the extent to which adultera
ton is practiced. have received
some criticism in regard to the exten
sion OF time which gave to dealers to
arrange their business in conformity
to the law. / am now satisfied that
the course l pursued was wise one
for during my trip recently | found
that the grocers while buying theil
goods, securing contracts from manu-
facturers and jobbers that the good.
would stand the test OF the commits
sioner. Now and then l found &
risky grocer who seemed to think
that the law would be q dead letter,
and reading between the lines will
buy his groceries and take the
chances.
fully realize that it will be impos.
sible for me to cover the entire State
very often during the year. 1 will
not undertake to do so Systematically
but will one week be found in one
part of the State and in another in an
entirely different section, 80 that
there will be no way of telling where
1 am.
The law is q good one, and even now
a higher grade of goods is coming into
the State and is being manufactured
here and sold by the jobbers from
what there was prior to the passage ol
the law. Counterfeiting and adulter-
alton have become unpopular and g
salesman who claims that his good:
are so much cheaper than his compel
itor's is looked upon with suspicion.
1t has been claimed by some thai
the effect of this law will be to make
prices higher and that it will work q
hardship on the poor man. This is
an untruth. 1t is true that n certain
package of goods weighing certain
amount may be higher, but the con-
tents of the package will 60 farther
and produce better results. 1t costs
just the same to manufacture an adul
terated spice as it does pure one, SC
that the cost of the seasoning in the
adnlterated will be higher than the
cost of the seasoning in the pure.
The law will be beneficial in regu.
lating trade, in establishing a regular
margin of profit and in stopping this
never-ending slashing of prices on
one article and making it up ON an.
other. Every legitimate business
must have a reasonable margin oi
profit to survive.
There has been wrong impression
created in the minds Of consumers in
regard to the meaning of adulteration.
During my trip l found in conversa'
ton with CONSUMERS that many oi
them believe that all adulterated
goods were injurious to health. Such
is not the meaning of the word. 1t is
selling goods for what they are not, or
abstracting part of one substance and
substituting another.
The percentage of adhlterated
goods is very large while the amount
of goods sold which are injurious to
health is comparatively small.
There has been no work done by the
State chemist, Professor Fulmer, dur.
ing the last three weeks owing to his
illness. He has been confined to the
house with very serious attack ol
tonsilitis.
He says: This has been unfortu.
nate as l was in hopes of giving a
great deal more information to the
public than have. shall pursue
the same reasonable course in my fu.
ture work that / have in the past. ]
now make this request that all dealers
in pure goods inform me of any sus-
picions that they may have. All cor
respondence will be kept strictly con.
fidential. If we do not receive as
much benefit from this law as we
should it will be because the public
refuse to inform. l can do q great
deal, but the good will be increased
ten.fold by the cooperation of others
In reviewing my work find thai
spices, extracts, vinegar. jelly, honey
catsup, cream OF tartar, buckwhea'
flour, rolled oats, and syrups are the
articles of food which are the mos
commonly adulterated. 1 would
again urge the grocers to buy all thei
goods under the contract that the.
will pass the pure food law.
/ again publish my rulings which
are practically the same with fev
minor changes. I feel that every rul
ing now make will be sustained IL
court:
Baking Powders.-Can be sold with
out formula, but if labeled cream o
tartar, phosphate powder, etc., mus
be true to name and contain no ingre
dent injurious to health.
Buckwheat Flour. - If labele'
Buckwheat Flour" must be true t