New-York tribune., 1903-07-07
THE PURE FOOD CRUSADE
WAR ON FALSE LABELS.
Trouble Ahead for Manufacturers
Who DeceiUe the Public.
rrRoM rHE TRIBUNE BUREAU. |


80 Who make ''New-York full cream cheese"
pei9 otrer State than New-York and place it
u market so that it becomes an article of in
oL-a+e o. commerce There is law against this
&c nassed by Congress on July l. 1902, having
;,troduced in the House by Representative
an Des. Of Nevy-Tork at the instance of the dairy
sh.-- of that State. Heretofore this law has
l~- Feen enforced. In fact, there is nothing in
- 10, itself which makes il the duty Of any par
- officer OF the government TO see that its
,o,fsions are carried out. But the Department OF
,r1.,,re has been brushing up the subject
"s--s food legislation. and this particular law
O. o besn brought forth its provisions have been
,ed both by the officers Of this department and
= .be Attorney General. at the request Of Secre-
p y wilson and it will be put to work. II
% teBeved that much good may be done with it in
- a. nav Of preventing deception as to many food
-o5,cts now on the market. This law is not an
t-.-scste niece Of machinery. Its provisions are
simply these;
--ho+ m nerson or persons, company or corpora
ton t sh 1ited states or the District of Columbia
rom any other State or Terr!t4ry OF the the Gnlteo
District Of Columbia or in any Territory, any dairy
or food products Whlc2 sha ne Iasey N Ia2eieG a. OF OF
branded 10 the State or territory IN whlch tney
sre made produced or grown. or cause or procure
the same 10 be done by others.
violation of the act is made misdemeanor
,,,nisbabe by fine of not less than $500 nor more
than 1900
Tbrough the enforcement of this law. not only
ran the complaint of the New-York dairy farmers
that the reputation of their full cream cheese"
IS being made suffer through poor limitations
,ro6uced in other States-be renedied but the
Secretary Of Agriculture in it means of pre-
venting this same deception regarding many other
food products which on the market under
false labels as 10 their place of origin.
Pure olive oil" from Italy, made entirely from
cottonseed oil from the southern states IS SOLD IN
nearly every grocery store ~ Inc Inc &
Ia SIN "a rod = .
T-ri0n Many varieties OF vegetables are put up in
- State si3ioped TO another and there labelled as
tie home product of any local firm. Socalied
California fruits are preserved in many parts or
The country. This list might be strung out in
definitely according 10 the food experts Of the De-
litboIeb there is no disposition on the part of
Secretary. Wilson to make this law burden; he
ls ue.e -S-.;e.1S - a. fio,, eJ,aiI reaSa
10 this end. he has submitted several hypothetical
Of manufacture. TO Attorney General Knox. The
Attorney General has responded by rendering just
~ mas goo5s d 9nifacfred in this country but as
stated in q dispatch from The Tribune Bureau
printed this morning. he has construed the law
connection with the act giving t.le Department OF
which may be brought TO this country, and then
labelled falsely REGARDING the place of their origin
Armed with these constructions, the Secretary Of
Agriculture proposes 10 do business with the new
Since the passage of this law. which is called by
manufacturers have submitted their labels 10 the
Department OF Agriculture for a ruling 10
tions OF this law. In package containing sixty
labels OF various food products submitted by a
manufacturer last week every one, with one eX-
ceptiOn. declared TO be a violation OF the law.
DR. r. W. Wiley. chief Of the bureau of chem
istry OF the Department of Agriculture, who IS the
exDert OF the department pure food matters,
states that many other manufacturers have sub
Tntted their labels 10 the department for eXamna-
f0n. and in every instance, he says. il has been
stated by the manufacturers that any corrections
the department might suggest would be made. The
rigid enforcement Of this law will eliminate a num-
her food products from the market in this coun-
Try il is believed, or, at least restrict their sale
eucl for Instance cottonseed oil under the label
~olve oil
As the federal authorities have jurisdiction
. or the labels Of food products under this law
until such products become interstate commerce.
there is no way Of preventing false labelling Of
ECo-s which are produced and sold in the same
State The laws of the various States, however,
may be looked for remedies against such prac-
tics The State pure food officers have no au-
t0oriJy take action under the law quoted above.
Such officers have the right to call the attention
r violations the federal authorities. This course
has b=en followed recently by the Pure Food Com
missioner of Wisconsin and the attention OF the
Attorney General has been called TO the matter
hv The Department Of Agriculture. This case is
likely 10 be the first one brought under the law.