The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-16
ENFORCE R|GIDLY.
PURE FOOD
LAWS
Rules to be Followed by In
spection Department of the
u. s. Government.
Evening Time. Special Service.

Evening Times Special Service.
Washington, July 16.-It is true that
congress made no appropriation at the
late session. for the carrying into eff
feet of the pure-food law, but that
omission, which was the result of an
oversight. is not important, since the
law Will not go into effect until the lat
OF January, 1907. BY that time the
Snort session of congress will have
been under way for almost a 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 ayricul-
ture, the secretary Of commerce. and
labor and the secretary of the treas
ury.Who are charged with the admin
istration OF the law, are to nut their
heads together for the working ont of
proper administrative regulations. The
Importance of this work cannot lie
over estimated. Upon the wisdom dis
prayed by the men who superintend if
Will depend entirely the working effect
OF the new law. The work cannot he
hurried.
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. It
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 England's Law.
The three secretaries named will
have the benefit of all the experts in
their respective department, and it is
believed that the result of their labors
will be entirely satisfactory. The
president is to pass judgment on the
regulations as finally drafted, and re-
serve the right to amend them. And
after these regulations have been an
proved by himself they will be passed
on to the attorney general for an opin-
ion as to their workability from legal
point of view. This will be an impor-
tant part of the inquiry, for it is
obvious that there will be numerous
suits before the law is generally ac-
cepted, 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
which passed the senate eighteen years
ago, when the agitation first began.
But that was long before the days of
the muckraker and of the crystaliza-
ton of public opinion against the SEN
ate for its too conservative and some
what 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 couu-
try as a whole, a pressure which the
house did not dare resist too long. The
new law is also said to be almost
verbatim copy of the existing law of
England, and where there are depar-
lures from that law it is claimed that
the American law is the better of the
two.
Will Enforce 1t RigidIy.
Officers of the government do not ex-
pect that there will be much difficulty
in the enforcement of the law. Not to
exceed 5 per cent of the manufacture
ers and dealers, it is said, will try 20
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 bu-
reau of the department of agriculture
is to make careful test of the effect
of cold storage on poultry. fish, game
and eggs. This test will last for al
most six months. and the results of 1t
will be announced in time to permit
of the regulations being changed to
conform to it before going into effect
ready been made. Fruit can be kept
and improved. After fruit becomes
thoroughly ripe, however. it deterior-
ates, even in storage. The regulations
will take note of this fact.
Indications point to about year
as the limit of time for stored meats,
and If the tests bear out these indica-
tons. something will happen to the
business of commission men in cities
like Chicago, who corner the market
for fowls, game or certain other kinds
of meat supply after holding their
goods for year and perhaps for two
years or more. The storage egg is
also to be condemned. unless all the
signs fail. 1t has been discovered
that at times eggs are in storage for
several years before going on the mar
ket. The housewife who can pick out
the storage egg by its musty smell will
be glad to know that this same smell
is being Investigated by Dr. Wiley,
government chemist. and that it is to
be done away with in the regulations
for the enforcement of the new law;
that is. IL the present tests demon
strate that it ought to be done away
with, as it is believed they will.
Which Is Shakespeare?