Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-07-19
STATE OFFICERS ARE
AFTER A NEW FRAUD
DAIRY AND FOOD COMMISSION
ARE ON THE HUNT
Discover Cases of MiSbrdnding of
Cheese State Law Makes the
Act a Observation-Disclosures in
Sight-Bdrn Inspectors Also at
Work.

Assistant State Dairy and Food In
spector u. s. Baer, is at work in this
section of the state in an effort to
ferret out fraud that is being prac-
ticed by some wholesale cheese deal
ers. and which if not stopped is sure
to breed trouble for the offenders. The
up the weights of cheese on the boxes,
that is removing the true marks and
putting new marks representing the
contents of the box as weighing a
pound or two more than the scales
will show An instance was cited
were recently a car of cheese thus
marked up was sold at I Of cent
less than the market price and yet by
reason of fraud netted the jubber
handsome profit. Whether the retail
dealer passed the short weights along
to their customers is not known but
either the retailers or the consumer
paid high for their "bargain.
Chapter 173 Of the laws of 1907 re-
lates to the misbranding of articles of
food. The misbranding of any article
of food within the meaning of this law
is made a misdemeanor punishable by
fine Of from twenty-five dollars to one
hundred dollars or imprisonment IN
the county Jail from ten days to sixty
days.
Among other provisions, this law
provides that If any article of food
is in package form and contents are
stated in terms of weight or measure
and they are not plainly and correctly
stated on the outside the article is
misbranded and the person found
guilty is liable to the penalties above
mentioned.
This law plainly includes as mis-
demeanor the marking of cheese above
its real weight has been too common
in Wisconin. 1t is the purpose of the
dairy and food commissioner to ferret
out, such mIsdemeanors and bring the
off enders into court for deserved pun
ishment. The same provisions are
found in the nationl law, the state
and national laws being unifom III this
respect.
The state dairy and food commits
sion has been doing some excellent
work in bringing about better snltary
conditions in cheese factories and
Ceameries throughout the state and
the practical results are already being
shown in more wholesome products In
lower insurance rates and in larger
profits. A letter from an insurance
company carried many creamery risks
states that by reason of the commits
sion's work along this line the char
acter of the risks has been greatly
improved During the two years
hundred of creamerles and factories
have installed cement floors and this
one change has gwen them an i'm
portant protection from fire, thus
showing that improvements of this
character pay even from the stand
point of dollars and cents.
cit may not be generally known
but it is nevertheless fact that there
is law upon the statute books OF
Wisconsin providing for the inspection
of barns. says the Juneau Indepen
dent.
1.-The barn inspectors are auXiliaries
of the Dairy and Food Commission
and are working under orders from
that body. The duty is to inspect all
barns used for housing cattle, and to
see that all such barns are properly
lighted ventilated, and kept in a
perfectly sanitary condition.
"a number of these inspectors are
now working in Dodge County. For
some time past they have been inspect
ing barns in the town of Chester, and
1t is reported that number of barns
inspected have been condemned and
the owners given the alternative of
remoding and otherwise overhauling
the barn to bring it up to the sanitary
standard established by the Inspectors,
or stop selling their milk. In q few
Instances it was necessary to make
the basement higher and to put in
additional windows. 1t is reported
that one farmer who was asked to
remodel a newly erected barn, sold
his cows and went out of the dairy
business rather than comply with
the order of the inspectors.