New-York tribune., 1900-07-01
PURE FOOD FOR ILLINOIS.
NEW AND STRINGENT Law AGAINST
ADULTERATION.

! Chicago. June 30 (SpeciaD.-BegInning on July
the State of Illinois will put in force Of the
best we'll one of the most stringent pure
food laws in operation within the limits of the
United States Despite It's sweeping provisions.
it will go into force with but little friction and
apparently with the active cooperation of a
large majority of the manufacturers and the
wholesale and retail distributors, That the pub
| lie. which knows comparatively little of the de-
! tails will also be pleased seems foregone con-
! clusion A suite Of rooms on the sixteenth floor
! of the Manhattan Building contains the offices
| of the State Food Commissioner. Alfred H
! Jones, and his assistants. ]. H Monrad and Z.
N. Eastman. The latter is the State Analyst to
whom is submitted everything in the food line
which is sold for what it is not or contains
something not designed for the human stomach
Mr.. Monrad is the expert in dairy products pro-
vided for in the act establishing the Commission.
Among the chief reasons for the lack OF i'm
portant opposition TO the and stringent
measure is that due notice has been given to all
classes OF the trade. that there has been no
real necessity for material losses on the part of
any individual corporation. The act was
approved April "a. 1899. and all departments
of the manufacture and distribution OF anything
in the food line have had ample time to prepare
themselves for the new conditions. 1t has also
been understood from the first that no evasions
would be tolerated and that the law would be
enforced impartaly. One Of the chief features
of the law Is that putting the responsibility en-
trely on the retail dealer. who comes directly
in contact with the consumer. While this may
seem hard at first glance, all of the retail deal
ers who have been seen regarding 1t express
themselves as satisfied with 1t. and assert their
ability to protect themselves by buying of rep
utable and responsible dealers alone, thus put
ting the cheap and dishonest manufacturer in
the position where he must play square" go
out OF business. This also heads off the compe-
tition of the dishonest dealer from outside the
State, who is, of course out Of reach OF the
Illinois laws.
MANY SAMPLES TAKEN.
An immense amount Of work has already been
done by the Commission in analyzng samples
of the various foodstuffs the market These
examinations have not been made for the pur-
pose Of beginning prosecutions but are for the
information Of the trade and the public as we'll
as for the information of the Commission itself.
Over one hundred samples Of vinegar, nearly as
many items in tomato catsup, baking powders,
favoring extracts and countless other items have
gone through one another Of the many me-
chanical devices at the disposal Of Mr.. Eastman.
Mr.. Eastman has ready for distribution to
the trade and the public his first report
regarding the Investigations made. In the
first bulletin no names will be mentioned,
but much information as possible for the
future guidance of the manufacturer and dealer
will be included. Thereafter the bulletin will be
issued monthly and will contain reports with all
the details of those who are attempting the sale
of impure or counterfeit products. This feature
alone would kill the undesirable product for
commercial purposes but the prosecutions which
will promptly follow would be pushed so viCor-
ously that for further violations would
be left.
In the adoption Of the law with it's pro-
visions for enforcement the State has the benefit
Of the pure food laws passed previously in ad-
jacent States, and also the cooperation OF the
manufacturers and dealers who have been
forced to adjust their trade in those States to
the laws they were enacted Further than
this. it has on its force some Of the men who
have made the laws Of other States effective
and to- whom the work is therefore not new
These have shown the trade that the cheap and
adulterated- articles yield little profit and less
satisfaction 70 those engaged in making and
distributing them. All these important
points, as it would be hard to name a food
product which is not manufactured in Illinois
and mainly in the city Of Chicago Italian and
French macaronis are made the North Side
pure ltanan ollve OIL is turned out of the stock
yards and articles of similar bold front are
made in obscure corners in every section Of the
cit--.
Cne of the effects Of the law has been to boom
the business of the amateur analytical chemist
Every department store in the city which handles
any quantity of groceries. etc, and nearly all
Of them do now has man who tell whether
imported olive oil contains the cottonseed oil or
peanut oil designed TO make il more accessible
to the common herd, or whether il is really
worth its full price.
Considerable jockeying is shown on the part
of the various baking powder manufacturers.
Those making the pure cream Of tartar powders
have asked that the Board approve small and
obscure labels on their while the alum
powder manufacturers have objected to printing
the ingredients on the labels In the latter
the Commission is inclined to think that the
alum baking powder men ShortsigEted
the fact that the Commission puts it's stamp of
article of diet is expected in time to educate the
public to the point where it will be able to sec
that the claims Of the other baking powder
manufacturers are eXaggeratioES.
INFERIOR QUALITY UNDER OTHER NAME.
One of the practices Of manufacturers which
is quite common is that of selling their first
quality of any article under their own name
and their second and third qualities under hct-
tious or factory firm name. John Johnson, who
puts his name the best quality, cannot sell
the second or third best under the name of the
Metropolitan or some other equally high sound
ing but indefinite name. The Commission will
insist that il can be able at all times TO locate
the manufacturer of the article offered for sale
to the public, and also that the manufactures
shall not shield his poor goods behind a fCti-
tious firm name.
Though the Pure Food law has been before
the public at more or less frequent periods since
its passage in the spring of 1890, the Commis
sion is nevertheless in daily receipt OF from
fifty 10 sixty letters asking for details. The
greater part of these inquiries are from the
small dealers who are anxious TO dispose or
stock on hand before the law becomes effective.
In most of these instances the small dealer can
secure labels from the dealer or manu-
facturer of the goods or return them and
receive the same quantity of similar goods prop
erly labelled. One OF the chief impostions on
the public is in the misleading and deceptive