The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-19
WILL Be LIKE ENGlAADs Law
OF THE ACT PASSED
BY CONGRESS WILL BE RIG
IDLY ENFORCED.

law, Uut tIIdl OIillooloAi, "hiNh "eA' viz
result of an oversight, is not important,
since the law will not go into effect un-
til the LIST of January, 1907. By that
time the short session Of congress will
have been under way for almost
month, and the necessary sum will
probably have been provided in an
emergency appropriation bill which it
is always customary and necessary to
pass in the early weeks of the session.
Meanwhile, the secretary of agricul-
ture, the secretary of commerce and la
Dor and the secretary of the treasury,
who are charged with the administra-
ton of the law, are to put their hea-s
together for the working out Of proper
administrative regulations. The i'm
portance of this work cannot be over
estimated Upon the wisdom displayed
by the men who superintend it will de-
pend entirely the working effect Of the
new law. The work cannot be hur-
ried.
In the very nature Of the case, weeks
and months of careful, painstaking la
Dor must precede any systematic at
tempt to put the law into effect. 1t
was knowledge of this fact which
caused congress to name the first of
the year as the time when the law
should be operative.
Like Engand's Law.
The three secretaries named will
have the benefit of all the experts in
their respective departments, and it is
believed that the result of their labors
will be entirely satisfactory. The pres
ident is to pass judgment on the regu-
lations as finally drafted, and reserve
the right to amend them. And after
these regulations have been approved
by himself they will be passed on to
the attorney general for an opinion as
to their workability from a legal point
of view. They will be an important
part Of the inquiry, for it is obvious
that there will be numerous suits be-
fore the law is generally accepted, and
the president will want to know in
| advance of suits being brought, either
by the government or against it, that
! the regulations will stand the test Of
the courts.
1t is an interesting fact that the
pure food law is almost identical in
form with the bill on the same subject
when the agitation first began. But
| that was long before the days Of the
muckraker and of the capitalization
of public opinion against the senate
| Cor it's too conservative and somewhat
retroactive policy. The senate bill of
| that day was defeated in the house, as
the present law would have been but
! for the pressure of the country as a
whole, a pressure which the house did
not dare to resist too long. The new
law is also said to be almost verba-
| tim copy of the existing law Of Eng
land, and where there are departures
from that law it is claimed that the
American law is the better of the two.
Will Enforce It RisidIy.
Officers of the government do not ex-
| pect that there will be much difficulty
| in the enforcement of the law. Not to
exceed per cent of the manufacturers
and dealers, it is said, will try to evade
it. The others will comply with it of
their own accord.
While the three secretaries are busy
ing themselves with the working out
| of proper regulations, the chemistry
bureau of the department of agricul-
ture is to make a careful test of the
effect of cold storage on poultry, fish,
almost six months, and the results of it
will be announced in time to permit
of the regulations being changed to
conform to it before going into effect.
| The cold storage tests for fruits has
already been made. Fruit can be kept
in storage, and for three or four
months and improved. After fruit be-
comes thoroughly ripe, however, it de-
teriorates, even in storage. The regu-
lations will take a note Of this fact.
| Indications point to about a year as
the limit of time for stored meats, and
[ if the tests bear out these indications,
something will happen to the business
| of commission men in cities like Chi
cago who corner the market for fowls,
game or certain other kinds of meat
supply after holding their goods for a
year and perhaps for two years or