The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-20

SAMPLE AGENTS BUSY SEASON
Easterk coAcerns Take Advantage
of the softenine Spirit of Christi
mRs, Which Makes Farmers
Easy Victims.

The state a6airy and food department
is unusually busy these holiday times
keeping a close eye peeled for the flood
of spurious food articles which always
comes about bChristmas time. Box car
merchant n special agents and catalogue
WorkersgiareI busy these days, especially
in the country districts, eloquently pre-
sentingd the alluring attractions which
they have to offer. "A great many firms
throughout. the country have their agents
at work In the West taking orders, which
are filled in a, hurry before their men
can esbe apprehended by the law The
samples which they display in soliciting
orders are generally up to the standard
required by. law but the goods they de-
liver on the contracts which they make
are seldom the same as the samples, and
very rarely do they come up to the re-
quired. standard of the strict Minnesota
law.
The. dairy and food department has
been unusually successful in apprehend-
ing the box car merchants, and this fact
makes their; operations less active in
Minnesota this Christmas than in former
years. but a great many. concerns are
working this game for all 1t is worth.
Undoubtedly many of them manage to
make good without detection, through
no fault of the department, however, as
they work very quietly, and no complaint
is made against them.
These agents go through the counties
and by~their aIluring offers secure many
signatures to their contracts. They Often
times have the goods shipped to a certain
station, from which place they deliver
them to the farmers by delivery wagons.
A firm by throwing in a great many
agents al one time. and having their car
loads of goods handy for immediate de-
livery upon receipt of orders, is often
times able to get the goods delivered
and get out of the state before their OPP
erations can be discovered. Oftentimes,
when no complaint is registered, they
are not discovered at all.
Are Careful In Cities.
These concerns work on a very limited
scale inuthe3 cities. as their detection is
almost. certain, and in cities like st. Paul
and Minneapolis, where the merchants
are cooperating with the department,
they cannot, dispose of their goods very
easily. TheYveonfine their work largely
to the smaller cities and to the country
Although the dairy and food depart
ment is -overerowded with work it man
ages togkeep "a very complete patrol OF
the state at this time of the year, and
the inspectors are all very busy, increas-
ing the number of their visits to the re-
tailers, and maintaining close surveil-
lance of the channels through which these
agents operate.
Although tits true that the paltry fines
imposed upon the violators of the law
do not materially decrease the profits of
these concerns, the department finds
however, that the vigorous prosecution
of all cases is having the effect of de-
creasing food authorizations. During the
past month there has been a decrease
in the percentage of adulterated samples
analysed by the state chemist. This has
been particularly true of vinegar. |--ich
always averages very high in adultera-
TONS Much of the credit is due, Of
course, to the city merchants, who insist
that the manufacturers who supply them
shall guarantee that the food stuffs are
UP to the standard, and assume the re-
spotlsibility IN case the department finds
them to, be- below the standard.