The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-11-25
NOW FOR PURE FOOD.
Results Of the New Law to Regulate
AS1IIteration.

-. .Adulteration.
One Of the most important acts ever
passed by Congress. so far as the
health OF the people is concerned. IS
the law approved March 8, 1903. au-
thorizing the secretary Of agriculture
to Investigate the adulteration Of foods
and drugs, to supervise the importa-
ton of food products intended for ex-
portation to countries requiring ply
sical or chemical inspection Of foods
entering their parts and to fix stand
ard of purity for foods.
The pure food law, as it is called,
was supposed to be mainly for the
purpose of getting back at those
countries Germany, for example)
which have excluded some OF our
foods and food products, on the
ground that they we're not heaithful.
Our canned beef is excluded from
France and Germany because OF the
fear of ptomaines. Germany some
time ago excluded pork, and some
countries do not like our fresh beet
because it is supposed tc he preserved
with boric acid. Be that as it may,
it is known that DR.. II. ". Wiley,
chief of the bureau of chemistry Of
the Department of Agriculture, has
for years been working to secure the
passage of q law by Congress to pre-
vent the adulteration Of foods in this
country, and in that work he has had
the hearty support of the New York
Society of Medical jurisprudence.
The new law ought to accomplish
two ojects. 1t should not only enable
the Department Of Agriculture to- pre-
vent the adulteration Of domestic
foods and liquors. 1t is also hoped
that by system Of cer,ificatlon as
to their purity, etc., it may be the
means of overcoming foreign preJu'
dice against some OF our articles OF
food. and of removing existing bar
riers against their sale in other coun'
tries.
In some quarters it is said that the
law was expressly designed for the
benefit of the owners of the Californla
vineyards; that if adultera1ed cheap
wines could not be imported there
would be much larger consumption
of the domestic brands Of clarets, etc
The imported brands Of cheap wines
have to be adulterated, it is said
with small percentage Of alcohol. be
cause of the yariableness Of the Amer
ican climate. The importers OF the
cheap wines say that the percentage
of alcohol added to the wines is OILY
enough to preserve them, and is moi
enough to make them unhealthful OF
bring them within what would be
known as adulterated wines. But
that will be for DR.. Wiley and the De
partment Of Agriculture to determine
In any event the act should operate
for the benefit of the public's interna
economy, so far as its health is con
sidered. and will enable the public
if it so desires, to be reasonably sure
as to the composition Of what it i:
eating and drinking.
At present DR.. Wiley and severa
experts are at work making up a lis
of imported articles that are know
to be subject to the law, and also
list of those articles which may b
suspected Of adulteration. In enforc
ing the law against adulterated foods
whenever the secretary of agriculture
has reason to believe that articles are
being imported which, by reason O.
adulteration, are dangerous to the
health of the people Of the United
States, or that their sale has been for
bidden in the countries where they
are made, or that they have beer
falsely labelled, ne is empowered t.
obtain at the Custom House specl
men original packages or sample:
from the importations for the purpose
of analysis. If such articles are fount
to be adulterated SUCH goods shall no
be delivered to the consiglee.-N. Y
Commercial.