The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-12
SERIOUS OBJECTION DEVELOPS.


Considerable opposition has developed
among influential members OF the House
to Senate bill No. 81. creating laboratory
of hygiene, of which the secretary of the
State Board of Health is to have full
charge, and appropriating $500 for the
starting of the laboratory and $4,000 annu-
ally for its maintenance. The bill came
up on second reading in the House Monday
with committee amendments materially
modifying it. The report of the committee
was unanimous. and for the first time dur
ing the session the unanimous recommended
ton of a committee was turned down. The
House. on a viva voce vote. decided not 20
concur in the report. and the bill was adj
vanced to third reading in its original form.
Several of the representatives who have
since studied the bill have come to the
conclusion that they must have been caught
mapping when they permitted it to be ad-
vanced without the committees amend
ments.
The second section of the bill provides
that the laboratory shall be located in base
ment room No. 10 of the Statehouse and
that if in time more room is needed il shall
be furnished by the custodian. The COM
mittee sought TO strike out the provision
for more room.
section s OF the Dill makes the secretary
of the State Board OF Health the sole di-
rector of the laboratory and empowers him
to appoint and fix the salaries of all the
employees. The committee sought to amend
State Board of Health the directors of the
laboratory and providing the members OF
the board, except the secretary, an annual
salary of $500.
SERIOUS OBJECTION.
Section contains a provision which has
raised the greatest objection. 1t is to the
effect that any person who shall sell, offer
for sale or give away. barter or trade, any
receipt or formula for the adulteration or
| imitation of any article of food, or teach
or offer to teach any method or means of
aduiterating or initiating any article OF
| food, shall be guilty of felony, punishable
| by Imprisonment in the State Prison for
| not less than tive nor more than ten years
| The committee amended this by substitute
| ing the word "misdemeanor' for felony,
| and fixing the punishment at fine of not
more than 81 .000 to which may be added
| imprisonment in the county Jail not TO ex-
coed six months.
| DIR. Baird, of Delaware county who Is
| the chairman of the committee on health
| that considered the bill. is unqualifedly OPP
| posed TO 1t in its present form. He init
mated last evening that his chief objection
| to 1T is that it will make too soft a nes
| for .one man." but he also maintains thai
every amendment offered by the COMMITTEES
| should be Incorporated in IL before the
/ House should think of enacting 1T into
law.
| DR.. Kimball, a member of the committee
| on health. is working actively against tn,
| bill His objections to II are similar to those
| of DR.. Baird The other members of tn,
committee are also working against tn,
measure
Representative Sayre, of Wabash, is op
| posed to the bill, his principal objections
| being that 1t is needless expenditure o
| the public money. Mr.. Sayre joins othe
1 members in believing that all the worl
| that is to be done by the laboratory cal
| be done at the laboratory at Purdue Uni
| do the work. This would involve no ex
| pense in fitting up a laboratory, and tn
| salary of the chemist would be considerable,
| less than $4,000 per year.
| The bill may be handed down on thir,
reading in the House to-day.