Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-21
Iowa's Pure Food Officials Dis
cover Fraud in Method Of
Giving Weight
ARRESTS ARE PR
PROMISED
Food and Dairy Commissioner Prom
ises to Prosecute Dealers Guilty of
Selling Watered Oysters - Curator
Harlan Seeking coppock Family His
tory.
Special 10 Times Republican.

Special 10 Times Republican.
Des Moines, Sept. 21.--There are
tricks in all trades and one of the
tricks is in the oyster trade, where
water IL, converted into oysters at the
rate of rs per cent of the weight OF the
oysters every twentyfour hours. Then
the oysters are left in so much loose
water that the customer buys about
half oysters and about half water.
If yorl buy oysters that are half wa
ter notify the state food and dairy
commissioner and he will have the
dealer arrested for violating the state
law
country are getting busy on the oyster
business and the dealer who has been
making q fat thing in oysters is in a
way to have hard shedding during the
coming winter months. The state law
says that oysters that have been doc
tored in water or when large part
of the bulk Is water are adulterated
which is against the state law.
There are really two tricks in one in
the oyster business. Food Inspector
John Tate of the state commissioners
office went to Des Moines market a.
day or two ago and bought quart of
oysters. Then this is what happened to
those oysters after they got into the
hands of Chemist Chittick in the Of
fee Of the state food and dairy com
j Ssioner. First it was found that the
ii. 1T was an ounce and half short
of being a quart. Then the oysters were
poured into. a seive and A per cent of
the quart ran thru the seive leaving
but IS per cent of oysters.
Then the chemist department secured
lot of fresh oysters from the whole
salei' right fresh from the coast One
pint of the oysters, genuine oysters af-
ter being put thru the sieve and all
water drained off were put in fresh wa
ter and left over night. In the morning
they were drained off and weighed and
were found to have gained 25 per cent
in weight.
The tricks in the oyster business are
that oysters left in water will absorb
water very rapidly. So the oysters are
shipped in water The wholesaler
drains off what is left and puts in
fresh water and ice and the oysters
absorb still more. Then the dealer
again puts in fresh water and ice and
they gain still more. 1t is claimed that
all last winter when oysters were SELL
ing Wholesale for $1.40 a gallon they
were being retailed at 35 cents quart.
Puzzle: Find the retailers commission.
Answer: Water. The rest of the trick
is that the oysters are left in water
when sold and besides the water that
they have soaked UP they are float
ing around in still more water which
is sold to the customer at the same
rate per quart as the oysters bring.
Many people have been accustomed
to buying oysters floating around in
water for so many years they have
come to consider the water as being
part of the oysters, the juice, so to
speak, and have been by custom led
to believe that this was a necessary
part of oysters. State Food and Dairy
Commissioner II. r. Wright, who has
been making a study of the matter says
this is not SO. Now it is proposed to
make the oyster dealers ship their
oysters packed in ice but with no ice
or water coming in contact with the
oysters. They must be put in small
casks with the ice on the outside Of
the cask.
The Corning Savings bank is to come
before the supreme court this week. on
q petition for rehearing. The supreme
court by; actual count grants one re-
hearing in every 400 cases and there
fore the chances are not large that the
case will be reheard. However, the
fact that the point will be finally
passed upon is of decided Importance
to the banking and commercial inter-
ests of the state of Iowa, makes the
petition for a rehearing Of considerable
Importance.
The case is that of state Of Iowa
ex rel B. F. Carroll, auditor, VS.. Corn
ing State Savings bank ct al, appel
lants. The bank went broke because
of one Of the officials forging paper.
He sold the forged paper with the en-
dorsement and guarantee of the bank
A considerable part of it was sold to
the Iowa National bank of this city.
In C0e llClRdllOu Slldl les W. OOlluSlOu
the Iowa National and the
entire question at issue was whether or
not savings bank could guarantee
commercial paper.
If it could not then no bank or COM
mercial agency or individual would
ever buy commercial paper of a. saw
ings bank. The district court and su
preme court held that the guarantee
of the savings bank was good and that
it must make good the forged paper
This makes the claim of the Iowa Ma
tional preferred claim. When the SUI
preme court passes on the petition for
a rehearing if it refuses the rehearins
it will settle for all time this important
banking legal question.
Curator Harlan. Of the historical
department. is making an effort to get