, 1907-01-10
ADDRESS TO
CONSUMERS
COMMISSIONER BURKE MAKES
SOME PERTINENT REMARKS
AT THE UNIVERSITY.
POINTS out Means Whereby Consumer
May Aid Pure Food Commission
In enforcement Of Law-Consum.
ers Should Make Certain Demands
In Justice t Themselves.

In the university short course yes.
terday forenoon Commissioner e w
Burke of the Wyoming pure food com
mission delivered a splendid address
on the working of the law in this state
and made some timely suggestions
whereby the consumer can materially
aid the commission in its work. There
was a good attendance of ladies. The
Republican is pleased 10 give herewith
extracts from the commissioners re-
marks:
The Situation in Wyoming.
Ladies and Gentlemen:-It is a
pleasure to be with you this morning
that l may try to point out a few ways
in which the consumer may aid the
pure food official of this state Chan.
tiers S2,and 100 of our 1903 session laws
took effect September 80, 1903, which
covers foods, drugs and drinks in this
state. When this law took effect, even
the most sanguine had little idea that
it could ever be made operative, and
there was very little accomplished I'M
I'll the office Of commissioner was ere
ated on April list, 1905. l being that
appointee, believed that the state of
Wyoming had the right to demand the
very best service of its officials. The
T%situation at that time was truly de-
plorable. Large corporations, possess
ing unlimited resources, were selling
adulterated or impure food stuffs to
the dealers of this state, who in turn
were retailing them to their customers.
Law Was an Experiment.
This law was simply an experiment.
Opposed by some of the largest corpor-
ations in the country and having but
the luke-warm support of the people,
my task seemed almost an impossible
one. began gathering samples of food
and had properly chemical analyses
made and promptly blacklisted brands
of impure or ~adulterated articles. From
April l, 1905, until February 9, 1906
this work was mostly educational as it
was necessary to have our laws print
ed and give each m of our merch.
ants and jobbers a copy and take the
law up in detail with them, SO they
would be fully posted on the require
ments of the law. The object of all
food laws should be to preserve the
public health by protecting the consum-
er from food hat contains substances
injurious to health, or from food that
is in itself injurious; AMI from fraud
in food by requiring the label to give
the true names n proportionate
amount of the ingredients contained in |
a food compound.
In the health of the people lies the
health If a nation. Nine-tenths of all
diseases have their origin in the stom.
ach, caused from impure and improp.
er food.
Two Kinds of Adulterations.
ne NohSuLbCl luz NltalIy SldSp Tic
idea at the very first that adultera-
lions are Of two kinds only, First,
those that perpetrated fraud upon the
consumer, and second those that are
detrimental to health. In some kinds
of prepared foods both kinds of adul-
iteration are practiced.
Under the first class of adulteration
in which fraud is practiced upon the
consumer, We shall find very many diff,
ferent ways in which this evil occurs.
These frauds are usually paIliated by |
the argument hat the health of the
consumer is not impaired or even en-
dangered. Here is a case where the
answer does not apply. The question
of health does not enter in, but another |
principle does apply. The law guaran-
tees no man in the right to perpetrate
fraud. On the other hand it does dis
tinctly guarantee every one the right
to know that which he buys. If the
consumer will keep these principles in
mind he can be of immense service to
the pure food official. He will find
goods that are put up in short weight
packages. He will find extracts pur-
porting to be made from the proper
materials that are wholly artificial.
Common Form CT Fraud.
Goods that do not contain the full
amount of the essential ingredients,
such as lemon extract that is low in
lemon oil or which has no lemon oil
at all, are common forms found on the
market. Extract of vanilla made part
ly from tonka beans or from artificial
vanillin or courmarin are common
forms of adulteration. Again maple
syrup made from genuine maple syrup
or sugar as a flavor, while the remain
der is common cane sugar., is one of
the most persistent frauds, and So we
might continue the list through lards,
ground coffees, spices, %jellies, jams and