The San Francisco call., 1901-12-19
PURE FOOD LAWS.

w Of the s committee . on u Manufacture. 5e ire con-
corning the pure food laws of the different
States OF the Union and of various foreign countries
Senator Mason made brief statement Of the bene
fetal effects of such laws and illustration cited
the results obtained by the law designed to put
stop to the adulteration of flour. The success at
tanned by that act, he argued, is sufficient justify
further legislation in the same direction and to
courage Congress to undertake a comprehensive
scheme of pure food legislation
At the beginning of its Investigations into the
practice of food aduterations the committee found
that fully 90 per cent of the -four used in this coun-
try adulterated Wheat -four mixed with
finely ground white corn, with by-produc of glu-
cose factories known as corn -four" which consists
of the of after all the sugar and gluten
have been taken out, leaving nothing but the husks
and with species of white earth known as terra alba
or mneraline.
The first two adulterants not deeterious in
their nature and the wrong done to the consumer
is simply that Of foisting upon him an inferior ar
tcle in place of the genuine flour he desires and pays
for Even in that light, however the evil is serious
one Senator Mason states that much 25 or 80
Per cent OF worthless byproduct of the glucose fac
tories mixed with flour, and that the time the
investigation made more than half of all the
mills in the United States had what is commonly
known as mixer" The mineraine adulterant is
absolutely pernicious, but it it was never used
to form any considerable percentage OF the whole
mixture sold pure flour.
The flour trade in that condition when Con-
gress amended the Dngley tariff by placing tax
upon mixed -four The tax was not designed to
raise revenue so much to give the Federal Gov
ernment authority to inspect fours and collect the
! +oxr Tbo A.
law and Senator Mason says: During the first
twelve months after the passage of the law about
1900 barrels of mixed -four containing terra alba
were confscated The mills that were used in grind
ing it have been closed-they are absolutely out of
business"
The results of the law as revealed in the export
trade of the country strikingy attest the value OF
pure food regulations. After governmental super
vision OF flour put into force the export trade
increased from 100000 barrels of flour to 5000 900
barrels in twelve months
Commenting upon the increase the Senator went
on to say: Il have here a printed letter from the
leading merchants in flour in fifteen OF the largest
cities of the world including London Bremen
Glasgow, Liverpool, Amsterdam Antwerp, Ham
burg and on, stating that Immediately after the
passage of what is known the American pure food
bill the demand for American flour increased While
due wholly to the fact that we guaranteed the pur
ity of the flour, yet do believe and it is generally
believed by the manufacturers of the country that
very large share of the increase is due to that
cause
In taking flour illustration Of the advantages
to be gained from governmental supervision, Sen
ator Mason did not overlook the Importance of ap-
plying similar protection to other classes OF food
'We found aduterations," he said, "in the spices
that go the table the syrups the elies the jams
the pickles and ten thousand kinds of foods" Gov
ernmenta supervision in such matters has the triple
benefit Of protecting the against adultera-
tons more or less harmful, the honest manufacturer
against the dishonest competitor and increasing the
demand for Our products abroad It would seem
then that the precedent established in the -four law
might be proftably followed in dealing with other
staple articles of food or drink