The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1905-06-23
PAINTS AND OILS.

PAINTS AND OILS.
Comparatively few people are
aware of the fact that the dairy and
food department has jurisdiction
over the paints and linseed oil sold
in this state. Among the laws
which the department is. expected to
enforce is one relating to white
lead and mixed paints and it would
be about as we'll for the buyer OF
these goods if we had no law at all.
1t is of no practical value and It's
rselessn ess has been known to the
for several years. Every
attempt to secure the passage' OF a
law which would really protect the
buyer and let him know what he is
purchasing. has been defeated and
the man who buys paints is still at
the mercy of the interruptions man.
ufacturers.
The law provides as follow:
''Every person, firm or corporation,
who manufactures for sale or ex.'
DOSES for sale, or sells within this
state any white lead paint or COM
pound intended for use as such,
branded, labeled, or marked as
''pure," and ''strictly pure, - which
contains any ingredient other than
carbonate of lead and pure linseed
oil, and every person, firm or cor
poration who manufactures for sale
or exposes for sale or sells within
this state, any mixed paint or COM
pound intended for use as such,
branded, labelled. or marked as
''pure," or ''strictly pure" which
contains any ingredients other than
pure linseed OIL, pure carboate of
lead, oxide Of zinc, turpentine, ia
pan dryer, and pure colors, shall be
deemed guilty Of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction thereof shall
for. each offense be punished by a
fine of not less than twenty-five and
not more than one hundred dollars
and costs, or by imprisonment IN
the county Jail not exceeding sixty
days.
Under this law anything in the
white lead or mixed paint line
which does not bear the LABEL ''pure"
or ''strictly pure'' can be manu-
featured out of any ingredients,
meritorious or otherwise, and the
law is imperative. With food arti-
cles if product is termed ''honey,"
''lard, -" ''sorghum,' etc. it must be
absolutely pure in order to be sold
under single name. If the article
is not pure it must be labelled show
ing it's true composition. 1t does
not have to be labelled ''pure'' or
''strictly pure'' in order for the pur-
chaser to understand that it is the
real article. The inconsistency of
the law is most apparent.
A sample OF so-called white lead
paint analysed by our chemist last
week was found to contain absolute-
~ no white lead at all, and yet pure
white lead is suppoed to consist of
nothing but carbonate OF lead and
pure linseed oil. should take great
pleasure in naming the brand and
the manufacturer of the article if
we could only class it as illegal. "
The present law sanctions just
such work on the part of the manu-
facturer and this department has NJ
authority to go further. Complaints
regarding the quality of paints are
continually forthcoming, but we are
powerless under the present law to
change conditions.
The only way to alter conditions
is for the paint buyers and users Of
the state to demand of their legisla-
tors that something be done ut the
next session of the Legislature be-
side framing the paint law to suit
the manufacturers
TOURISTS CARS POPULAR.
The idea that an inferior class of