New-York tribune., 1906-07-04
PURE FOOD PLANS.
TO ENFORCE NEW, Law.
Three Secretaries Will Cooperate
Some Cold Storage Tests.
fFnDm rhe rribune pureau. ]

Washington, July 3.-The Secretaries OF the
Treasury, Commerce and Labor and Agriculture
are already taking steps TO insure the enforce
ment Of the pure food law, despite The fact that
the measure does not go into operation until
January l. 1907. As the responsibility for en-
forcing the law fails on all three Secretaries
they VIII hold conference soon and VIII each
appoint a representative. and these representa-
tives will constitute a board TO make all neces-
sary preparations. Secretary Wilson will be
represented on this board by Harvey W. Wiley.
chief of the Bureau of Chemistry. TO whose un-
remitting work the passage of the law is largely
due. The other Secretaries have not yet selected
their representatives.
The officials are we'll satisfied with the law as
it finally passed, which, they say. is almost
identical with the English law. although there
are some changes from that statute and these
are believed to be improvements. Although
manufacturers and consumers cannot be COM
PEELED to obey the law until after January l
the officials can occupy the interim gathering
information and this will be done SO that it can
be applied uniformly and Systematically as soon
as it goes into effect.
In the mean time the dealers in adulterated
and misbranded foods and drugs. and especially
the sellers and manufacturers of patent medi-
cines, will have an opportunity to dispose OF
their wares. But after January l every article
offered for sale for human consumption must
bear on the label an accurate description of its
contents. Especially is this true of drugs and
it is reasonable to assume that the great indus
try which thrives by selling TO the ailing habit
producing drugs, which lead to temporary exc
hilaration and yield a handsome return in tes-
timonials, will be radically improved or else
the manufacturers Of these proprietary remedies
will have not only one but numerous days in
court.
STUDY OF COLD STORAGE.
While DR.. Wiley is waiting for the time when
the Pure Food law will make large demands on
his time he is making careful study of cold
storage and its effects various food products.
This work has been going on for some time and
some conclusions have already been reached.
1t has been found for instance that fruits can
be kept in cold storage from four TO six months,
during which time steady Improvement viii
be made, but once they reach perfection they
deteriOrate rapidly. When stored partially green
fruits reach perfection in about six months.
Experiments are being conducted with
game and meats Some specimens of game in
possession Of the Bureau of Chemistry have
been in storage four months, and some meats
as long as twelve years. Ostensibly neither has
deteriorated in this time, but there seems to be
a prejudice against the meats which have be-
come so materially aged" and thus far no one
of Dr.. Wileys poison squad" has volunteered
to make meal of twelve-year-old meat. The
poison squad" is eating chickens which have
been stored for considerable periods, and, while
Dr. Wiley says it is too early to make any an
nouncement of the results, it may he stated that
none of the young men has died thus far Later
on experiments will be made with cold storage
eggs, and possibly with other products.
Although final conclusions have not been
reached, the impression prevails that it will
be found that no food product can be stored
more than one year without deterioration or the
danger of it, Such a conclusion may result in
an amendment to the present meat inspection
law providing for dates on the labels of car
,casses and canned goods. Senator Bevepidge is
OF the opinion that this amendment will be
passed next session, but Secretary Wilson be-
neves that the packers and purveyors OF timed
food products will find that their products are
less salable without any date on the inspection
tag and that before the meat inspection law
has been long in operation they will themselves
beg that the inspection tags be dated. petition
to which the Department of Agriculture will re-
spond promptly and favorabiy.