The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-25
SHARP tilt OVER
BENzOATE REPORT
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson
Accused of Blocking Rein
vestigation of Subject

/ DENVER. Aug. 24-That within
short time the adulteration Of food VIII
cease altogether in this country and
that the Remsen referee board, ap-
pointed at the instance of President
Roosevelt to investigate the use of BEN
zoate of soda as preservative' VIII be
sustained by his department We're as
sertions made by Secretary of Agricul-
ture James Wilson at the opening OF
the annual convention of the Associa-
ton of state and National Food and
Dairy Departments today
Secretary wilson's remarks followeu
a bitter attack made upon MN py
]. @. Emery of Madison. Wis, president
/ Of the association.
ACCUSES CABINET OFFICER
I Pointing his finger at the secretary,
! Emery disputed the report OF the REL
cree board that benzoate had been
found to be not harmful, and then &C
/ cused the secretary of having urged
/ President Roosevelt in the latter part
of his administration to block a re-
! investigation of the subject Emery
contended that the drug as II comes to
! the consumer through soda water
| syrups. canned vegetables and other
foods certainly had not been deter
mined to be harmless.
WILSON MAKES REPLY
Let me say" declared Secretary
Wilson. Jumping to his feet, that if
we had money enough down there IN
Washington to employ DR.. Ira Remsen
/ and the other four chemists on his
board we should try 20 get them into
/ the department of agriculture. ! have
told the president that we want the
! ~, in the de-
partment, or the department will cease
/ to grow, and when it ceases to grow
don't want anything more TO do
with it,
IN SHARP TILT
When Emery said that the secretary
! had blocked the appeal to have the
government reinvestigate the benzoate
/ subject Wilson asked what he meant
| by that.
well, 1 have your letter in my
pocket" retorted Emery. In ii is your
Recommendation that our request be
1 not granted"
win you allow me word?" inter-
posed the secretary. If you Will recol-
| lect. you gentlemen just prior to that
time at your convention at Mackinac
/ had condemned our entire department
at washington and I did not think you
were the proper material to make
supreme court out Of"
on motion of Arthur Briggs of San
Francisco further debate was inter-
rupted by adjournment
WATER IN SAUsAGES
That the meat markets are flooded
with sausages prepared by the addi-
ton of cereals that contain large guam
titles of water and that the public is
made to pay for water instead of meat
was a charge which James Foust, food
commissioned of Pennsylvania, asked
the convention to investigate.
/ oLEOMARGARINE TAX
A resolution was introduced calling
upon President Taft to oppose the re-
duction of the tax on oleomarg arine
I by the next congress, The resolution
/ offered by Foust at the request of the
Pure Butter protective association of
! Pennsylvania declares that Secretary
of the Treasury MacVeaghs attitude in
favoring the decreased tax is mimi
cal' to the pure butter interests of the
country.
The Label "Wine"
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24-Upholding
its contention that the consumer is.
/! under thet food and drug act entitled
to know the character of the product
he buys, the board of food and drug
inspection of the department of agri-
culture today issued a decision declar-
4 ing that beverage can not be labeled
wine unless it is made from the nor
NAL alcoholic fermentation of juice of
sound ripe grapes, without addition
or abstraction. either prior or suisse
quent to fermentation"
The term wine" can only be used
for beverage made from the must
of grapes. If the beverage is labeled
| Imitation" fermented beverage
4 prepared from grape must by the
addition of sugar may be termed sugar
Wine" according TO the boards de-
cision.
The addition of water to the grape
! must will also require further char
acterization than the term wine" The
decision was reached by the board in
connection with the labelling OF Ohio
and Missouri xvinac