The news & observer., 1905-12-26
SAYS PROSECUTE
Solicitor Thinks Exam
pies Should be Made.
Opinion Of the Attorney General Asked
in Regard to the Pure Food Law.
Provisions and Requirements Of
the Law il Enforced.

The interest of the solicitors of
the State has been aroused by the
controversy over the question as to
whether the Pure Food law is Or is
not being enforced, and one visiting
the city yesterday was doubtful as to
whether he should begin prosecutions
or await the action of the Commits
sioner of Agriculture in swearing out
warrants. So far it is alleged that
the violations of this law by meat
dealers are fragrant.
This solicitor did not understand
that the promises of butchers to dis
continue the use of adulterants on
their meats and their failure to keep
these promises justified the Commits
sioner of Agriculture in not carryfng z
out the provisions of the law and
he thought that if it were to be only
a scare-crow on the statute books it
should be off.
At the suggestion of the solicitor the
opinion of the attorney general was
asked, and after examining the law
he will make known his decision. The
law reads:
1T Shall be the duty of every soli-
citor to whom the Commissioner OF
Agriculture shall report any violation
of this act to cause proceedings to
be commenced and prosecuted without
delay for the fines and penalties IN
such cases provided"
The person or agent, who knowingly
manufactures, sells or exposes for
sale, Or has in his possession with in
tent to sell, any article of food which
is adulterated or misbranded, or VI
olates any provision of this law, is
guilty of misdcmeanor, and the
INN iC 0xPRP6InU X2Un
for the first offense, or each subse-
quent offense $500, or be Imprisoned
one year, or both, in the discretion of
the court.
But the other punishment is pos
sibly as severe as the fine. 1t requires
that an offenders name. with the
statement of the analysis or examina.
ton, shall be published in the news
papers, this. of course, would ruin
q butchers business quickly.
The term food" as used in this
law, includes:
"All articles used for food--candy
condiment or drink by man or domes-
tic animals, whether simple, mixed or
compound The term "msbranded''
as herein used shall include all ar
ticles of food or articles which en-
ter into the composition of food. the
package or label of which shall bear
any statement Durporting TO name
any ingredients or substances as be-
ing contained in such article, which
statement shall be false in any par
ticular.'
Food is deemed adulterated if it
contains any of the following sub
stances:
"Colors which contain antimony,
arsenic, barlum, lead, cadmium,
chromium, copper. mercury, uranium
or zinc; or the following colors:
Gamboge, corallin. picric acid, anime,
or any of the coaltar dyes; saccaa-
rine dulcin, glucin or any artificially
or synthetically prepared substitute
for sugar; paraffin, formaldehyde,
-napthol, abrastol, benzoic acid or
benzoates. salicylic acid or salicylates,
boric acid or borates. sulphurous
acid or sulphites. hydrof1uric acid or
any fluorine compounds, sulphuric
acir of potassium sulphate or wood
alcohol
1t was the opinion of the solicitor
that the prosecution should commence
at once. and examples showed he
made directly of the big meat con-
Germs in Chicago and other cities that
are shipping their poisonous products
into North Carolina.