The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-02-21
Experts Disagree Over It's
Effects and a Delay Of the
Fure Food Measure May
Result
PREPARING APPROPRIATIONS
EvERY ITEM RECEIVES A CLOSE
soRUTINY ROOT WORKS
HARD FOR THE CONSULAR
BILL HIS PRESIDENTIAL
BOOM LAUNCHED.
Special to aThe Jersey CITY Nsws.,1

w WAS111NIION, 80. II, A0ou.
While one expert declares benzoic acid
is harmless, another is opposed to it's use,
and as result Of this difference in opin-
ion there may be a clash Of experts in
connection with the effort to amend the
pure food bill Mr.. Hepburn. of the in
terstate and foreign commerce committee,
has asked DIR. Vaughn of the University
of Michigan to prepare an amendment TO
the pure food bill placing the power to
fix standards for the use ef preserva-
tives in the hands Of a commission of
experts Dr. Vaughn does not object to
the use of benzoic acid. DR.. Wiley, of
the Department of Agriculture. does OBJ
ject to it.
In speaking of the acid DR.. Vaughn
says: "Benzoic acid is widely distribut-
cd in the plant world and we eat it every
day of our lives. Each day from one to
ten grains are taken into our systems
and absorbed in the blood. It is used
in the treatment of tuberculosis. In the
quantities now use it does absolutely no
harm. The Hepburn bill should be so
changed as to leave the fixing of stand
ards to a commission composed of DR..
Wiley, a bacteriologist, physiologist, a
physiological chemist and a pathologisr.
1t is impossible for one man. like DR..
Wiley, to give expert advice, and instead
the board should give information for
the use of the courts. In this way, if
the manufacturer appealed from the de-
cision of DR.. Wiley, il might be to thIs
board. It would prevent the condenlna-
tion of foods by DIR. Wiley without first
calling in experts" !"
In preparing the legislative, executive
and judicial appropriation bills the com
mittee on appropriations of the House
is scrutinizing each item carefully. This
is in line with the policy of economy
which was determined upon before the
present session of Congress convened. It
is the intention of Speaker Cannon to
keep all appropriations down to the low
est point possible, and there will be no
big appropriations made unless it shall
be shown that there is a necessity for the
expenditure of the money required
1t begins to look as though the rail
roads had few, If any, friends in Con-
gress in the present session. There was
time when any measure having for its
object an attack on any Of the big rail-
roads was quickly smothered in COM
mittee and never heard again. What a
change 1t looks as though public sefiti-
ment must have reached the Congress
men, and even some of the Senator'S The
adoption in the Senate Of the Tillman
resolution to investigate the merger Of
the coal roads was great surprise to
the railroad people. They had not look
ed for anything quite SO RADICAL.
The Gillespie resolution in the House
viii be thrashed out by the committee on
Interstate and foreign commerce, and
since Mr.. Hepburn the chairman, is the
author of the railroad rate bill, which
was adopted by the House, it IS coneed-
ed that the railroads will have to do
their best to defend themselves since it
is evident that the House. through its
committee, viii WELD the big stick of
the President and there is great danger
that some of the railroad people will be
hurt as a result Of the investigation
There is much speculation as to what
the result Of the inquiry will be. There
seems to be general impression that
there ought to be horizontal reduction
in the price of COAL except for effect, an
extended strike might have on the price
of that commodity, and it is believed that
it will be plainly demonstrated that the
coal-carrying roads have absolute control
eff the larger coal fields, and in that way
control the price Of coal as well as the
output. It is also conceded that there is
plenty of evidence available to show a