The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-08-20
NEW STEP IN
PURE FOOD LAW
STATE AUTHORITIES ARE TO
ACT AS FEDERAL. INSPECT
ORS-WILL RESULT IN
BETTER ENFORCE
MENT OF EXIST
ING LAWS.

Announcement has been received
by H. E. Barnard State food and
drug commissioner, that the Depart
ment of Agriculture. at Washington,
has decided to aid in enforcing the
national food law by acting as Federal
inspectors, with power to collect and
analyze samples and report violations
to the United States district attorney
of the State.
This is regarded by Dr., Barnard
as big step IN the right direction, as
it will result, he thinks, in less red
rape and more actual enforcement of
the provisions of the law.
Speaking further, of the convention
last week, at Mackinac island, of State
and national pure food departments,
DIR. Barnard said that the ore big
feature of the gathering was the har-
mony and cooperation between the
commissioners and the manufacture
ers.. Producers who, few years
ago. he said, were fighting pure food
legislation at every turn and doing
everything in their power to head off
the movement against authorizations
and preservatives, were last week
working hand in hand with the COM
missioners in joint effort to adopt
high standards and promulgate uni
form rules.
For instance" said the doctor, "a
Cincinnati company, which has been
one OF the strongest members of the
preserving forces which nave been
clamorng for the right to use ben
zoate of soda in heir goods, ha,
completely abandoned its position on
the subject and has announced that
this fall its eIstire output of catsup|
and chill sauce will be sent out with
out any pleserva.ive whatever
In letter to its trade, the COM
pany recommends that special effort
be made to dispose of the stock now
on hand because of the change that is
to- be made, and adds that three
years extensive experimenting has
enabled us TO produce this desired re-
sult,' which is that of manufacturing
catsup and chill sauce containing
no Spre3ervative whatever ano yet
guaranteed as usual against fermenta-
ton"
DR. Barnard says that other big
producers have now come TO think
that opposition TO the national act
and desire to evade it are based on a
wish to- manufacture cheap stuff
These have Topped over and lend
their aid to the commissioners.
Equally important to the determ i
alton to strengthen the national law
was a determination just as strong
to promote the sanitary conditions
under which food stuffs are produced
A committee was appointed TO draft
a model sanitation law and Dr. Bar
nard was made chairman of this
committee
The convention was agreed" said
the doctor, that sanitation was just
as important, if not more SO, than
adulteration and preservaItives. In|
other words we thought that watered
milk or skinned milk was not SO bad
or any worse, at least. than dirty milk
Z One of the prominent manufactur-
ers who spoke was w. NJ Hapgood,
of indianapolis, president of the Col
umbia Conserve Company. He rep
resented the packers and spoke n
the subject of "Catsups Without
Chemical Preservatives" His ideas
coincideJ so nearly with those of the
commissioners and other pure food
officials that the session addressed by
him developed into a love feast.
DIR. Barnard said that Mr. Hapgood
insisted that those who urge the use
of chemicals no longer argue that
products need preservatives, but dc III
because they wish to- keep down the
cost of production and to- enjoy as
much latitude as possible, dislikIng to
curtail profits and to confine them
selves 10 the narrow ground of strict
purity. In conclusion. Mr.. Hapgood
said:
"Those who wish to use preserva-
tives do net wish 70 abandon the
practice until they are forced tc do SO
by law or competition They realize
that It takes more care to handle
food products properly than improQ-
erly, and they don't wish to be forced
to exercise this care If they are
forced to, they will, but they prefer
to work along lines of least resis-
tance."
Mr.. Barnard insists that Indiana
ranks high among the states advanc-
ed in the pure food work.
"Some States may have laws a bit
better. notably Kentucky said the
doctor, ''but | am unwilling to adj
nit that we are behind any State in|
the Union so far as practical results
are concerned We are young in the
movement, having. started OILY three
years ago, but we raade rapid strides
from the very beginning and have not
suffered a single setback"