Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-06-11
To Change pure Food Policy.

To Change Pure Food Policy.
Des Moines.-It is announced by
State Dairy and Food Commissioner
H. R. Wright that beginning with June
1 new policy will be followed by
his department and prosecutions tor
violation of the pure food law will be
undertaken wherever possible ana
proper" the commission having come
to the conclusion that "the only way
by which law of this character can
be actually and fully enforced Is by
prosecutions alike of the careless ana
the guilty."
Up to this time the commissioner
has displayed much leniency. Inc
retailer in many cases is helpless De.
cause he is necessarily ignorant OF
the ingredients of the foods he sells
and it has been deemed unfair to
make numerous prosecutions of peo-
pie who were doing all in their power
to get their goods into conformity
with the law. This leniency, II SO 1t
may be called, in few cases has
been abused by its beneficiaries.
Hereafter they will have to watch
out.
Announcement of his change IN
policy has been made by the COM
missioner in bulletin just issued.
He. includes in the pamphlet many
rulings along the line of which will be
the prosecutions inaugurated by the
commission.
The Iowa pure food law really goes
into effect July of this year. Section
IA Of the law provides that goods
purchased or received by either whole
sale or retail dealers of this state
prior to July J., 1906, shall be exempt
from the provisions of this act to
July i, 1907" This section has been
amended so as to extend the exemp-
ton upon canned corn only, $50 pur-
chased or received" until Ian. 1, 1908.
Commissioners Wright, in his bull
letin, urges retailers to use every eff
fort to rid themselves of such goods
| as are exempt before the dates men
| toned. Heretofore it may have been
! difficult to determine what goods
were bought before and after July 1,
1906 Hereafter everything but corn
will be subject to every provision OF
the law Mr.. Wright is very direct
in his recommendations on this sub
| ject. He will say:
| "Jobbers and wholesalers will con-
suit their interests by assisting,
] through their travelling men, in get
ting old goods off the shelves OF the
| retailers or labeled to conform to
the law. Attention is called to the
fact that there is and has been no
exemption upon goods sent in from
outside the state, and the retailer is
| subject to prosecution if the goods do
not comply with the law. A few
goods have come into the state since
| the law has been in force which have
not been properly labeled. By looking
i over the goods on the shelves, with
the information given in this bulletin,
any Irregularities Of this kind will be
easily detected. 1t is highly import
ant that exempt" goods should be
cleared away before the expiration OF
4 the exemption, because after that time
arrives this department will have nc
= choice but to enforce the penalties
against the holder of goods not in &C
r cordance with the statute"
Commissioner Wright has decided
that the consumer of food must know
what 1t contains. Labels by jobber'
to retailers are not enough Retailer:
n must label the goods when delivered
oil to the last purchaser.
q Up to July 4, 1907, labels ma.
merely state the ingredients as "Thi
syrup is composed of the followin,
ingredients and none other: Mapl,
vi syrup; cane syrup After July tn,
t i.label must give the percentage Of eacl
! ingredient, as maple syrup 40 pc
= cent; can sugar 60 per cent"
Mixtures, compounds, combinations
o limitations and blends, which NIGH
y otherwise be classed as adulterate,
/, foods, must bear label showing thei
exact character and the name an
e quantity or proportion of each cor
= stituent thereof" There are man
e articles Of food which, by their yer,
4 nature, are mixtures or compounds
such as pure jellies and Jams, came,
fruits and vegetables, prepared mus
n tard, horse radish and vinegar Sucl
f mixtures are not, of course, adultera
f ted foods by reason of the fact tina
they are composed of more than on
Ingredient. The food products which
require labels are adultered foods
e which are at the same time mixtures
+ compounds, limitations and blends.
Saccharine or formaldehyle or an.
other deleterious ingredients is for
hidden by the law and Mr.. Wright an
t nounces in his bulletin that the at
titude of the department will b,
J against the use Of chemical preser
vatives, except the usual and neces
; sary amount OF benzoate Of soda il
catsup, sweet cider, wet mince mea
e and Goldfish, If the labels bear state
, | ment of the presence of such preser
vatives.
n Second Regiment to Des Moines.
o That gallant and historic regiment
e the Second cavalry, commanded b.
Colonel Frank West, has been ordered
to Fort Des Moines to replace tn
First squadron of the Eleventh caval
ry.
Prisoners Are Sentenced
In sentencing Rev. John Swift o
: Winterset to thirteen months in tn
penitentiary for his attempt to black
mail Baker Cornell at Winterset
v Judge Mcpherson gave the pastor !.
il round faying. Judge Mcpherson
!, overruled the motion for a new tria
y as prepared by Attorney Water Nc
> Henry in which the claim was mad
vi that had they permitted, the defens
is could have shown that Cornell's re
= lations with Miss Turner were
. matter of current gossip at Winter
e set. Carl Spencer, convicted of en-
bezzlement. was given five years.
el Stock Men Ask Lower Rates.
vi Live stock jntnrectc ne Iouo b.y