The Saint Paul globe., 1902-01-25
DEALERS TAKE HOLD
MINNESOTA MERCHANTS CO-OpER.
ATE WITH DAIRY AND FOOD
DEPARTMENT
PECULIAR MINNEAPOLIS CASE
Effective Campaign of Local Mer-
chants Has Greatly Diminished
AdulteratiOn by Eastern
Manufacturers.

The dairy and food department is re-
Jolcing over the peculiar DEVELOPMENT of
one or It's pure food law prosecutions in
minneapolis. The department inspectors
round adulterated vinegar in the old Il.
M. Roberts store and prepared to prose-
cute the firm. When Deputy Commits
sloner Dingman went to the gentlemen
bow operating that store to ascertain
which member of the corporation the
action should be brought against. he was
informed that the concern had taken the,
matter into it's own hands and sued the
agent OF the company of whom the vine
gar was purchased. The agent came into
court, pleaded guilty, and paid a fine of
80 and the case was ended, without the
department being put to the trouble or
expense of prosecuting.
The result is gratifying to the depart
ment. Whenever the inspectors find aduI-
te1ated articles in store they can onIy
proceed against the storekeeper The dis
position of the dealers to hold responsible
the men who sold the adulterated articles
will prove of great assistance to the de-
partment in its work
Commissioner Mcconnell says the ex-
cellent record made during the past year
is largely owing to the earnest and eff
fective cooperation of the merchants in
the state, and especially in the Twin
Cities. Since last July over one-third of
the analyses made by the department
have been made at the request of dealers
in the state who have been desirous of
obtaining information as to whether they
were in conformity with the law. When
such samples have been received they
have been analyzed by the department,
and the results communicated to the
merchants. Whenever the articles have
been found to be Illegal the merchants
have notified the manufacturers from
whom they bought them, and refused to
purchase again from these firms unless a
guarantee was given that the articles
were up to the standard of Minnesota
law
Samples Sent In,
The most representative business firms
of the Twin Cities and of many smaller
cities in the state, like Albert Lea, North
field Faribault and Austin, have SUBJ
mitted samples to the department In
their determination TO buy only such food
stuffs as are legal. Many of these mer-
chants have gone out and taken up from
smaller dealers articles sold, and after
wards found to be below the legal stand
ard.
The determination of dealers to hold
the manufacturer responsible has had the
effect of increasing the business of Min
nesota manufacturers. because they can
be reached by the law and compelled TO
obey the provisions of the law. Large
manufacturing concerns throughout the
East have submitted many samples to
the department of late, as they have dis
covered that they cannot do business
with Minnesota dealers unless they make
their goods conform to the requirements
of the Minnesota law Thus the depart
ment has done work the influence of
which is not confined to Minnesota alone
Commissioner Mcconnell says the CO.
operation of the merchants has made it
possible to reduce the amount of food
adulteratiOn to the minimum. 1t is said
that today the food adultera ton in the
Twin Cities is 80 per cent less than it was
fifteen months ago, and 1t is confined
largely to vinegar and to spices.
The department has received letters
from all over the country commencing
its laborS in the pure-food crusade.
Many of the manufacturers who have
been brought to time by the department,
declare that while the Minnesota law is
the most rigid in the country, they new
ertheless lind that III complying with it
they greatly increase their business in
the state. No manufacturer can sell to a
Minnesota dealer unless he guarantees
his wares.