The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-27
SHIELDING CULpRITS.

At the meeting of the Board of
Health where the latest report Of Food
Inspector Shorey was filed reporters
were notified of a rule that the names
of brands of adulterated articles might
be published but not the names of the
men or firms who work these bogus
products off on the home public. The
nature of the swindle might be ex-
posed but the identity of the swindler
must be kept secret. Thus we find in
Mr.. Shorey's published report vague
references to watered milk from Dairy
No. 1 or ga designation which means
nothing to the public and conveys no
warning to consumers; or an exposure
of imitation jelly or catsup in which
the trade mark or address of some dis
tant and easily forgotten manufacture
err is revealed but the name of the local
dealer is omitted.
This rule, while very gratifying to
people who sell trash to their custom
ers under an implied guarantee of pur-
ity, will never drive adulterated wares
from this market or even help to do
SO. The only way to stop the Illicit
trade is to spoil the business of the IL
licit trader. 1t does little good to de-
nounce brands, because the purchaser
rarely looks at them. He relies upon
his dealer for good article. Destroy
his faith in that dealer and he buys
nothing more of him and the dealer
gets the strongest kind of an incentive
to do business thereafter on the
square. Experience in all pure food
crusades teaches that the only remedy
for the evil is publicity so wide that
no party interested in the marketing
of adulterated groceries, tuberculous
meats and watered milk can escape.
This publicity may be had by means
OF convictions in courts or by official
exposure in the press or both. Any
thing less than that is mere by-play.
Three or four years ago San Fran
cisco had a pure food movement which,
for the time, carried all before 1t.
Scores of milk dealers were arrested
and their names given to the public
and that ended their connection with
the milk business. The largest dealer
In bogus groceries, a merchant named
Kline, was driven out of the city by
the complete loss of his custom. Sew
eral manufacturers and dealers in imi-
tation catsup, honey. table oil and
wine, shut up shop. The law, there as
here, was more fruitful in technical ac-
quittals than convictions, but that did
not matter, for the moment a buyer
saw in the papers that his dealer was
on the black list he went elsewhere.
The effect was most gratifying in lift
ing up the general average of food
products on sale. Dealers whose greed
or carelessness had led them to violate
the law either filed up their shelves
with wholesome goods or went out of
trade; and all dealers made haste to
weed out their stocks. fearing every
day an exposure by the press. Hun
dreds of carloads of suspicious goods
were shipped away; some to Oregon,
much to the interior of California and
to Nevada, some to Mexico and not a
little to Hawaii. Before the swindlers
got control of the Board of Health al
most anything edible for sale in San
Francisco might be eaten in safety;
and while that condition lasted the
death rate of the city visibly declined.
The public wants to have the same
thoroughness Of method here. If a
trap is set for them. people want to
know where the thing is to be looked
for and how avoided; they don't care a
continental who manufactured the trap
In the first place.