Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-25
BIG JOB Of SCRUBB|NG
UNITED STATES INACCURACIES A
CLEANING UP OF THE
FAR EAST.
PURE. FOOD CRUSADE STARTS
REFORMS IN FOREIGN LANDS
Uncle Sans Microscope Revealed the
Fact That We Were Eating Large
Quantities of European and Oriental
FiIth-New Regulation a Shock to
the Non. Bathing sarbarans.
Especial correspondence.l

is just waking UP to the fact that it is
in need of thorough scrubbing And
It's getting it, too, thanks to the activ-
tiles of the authorities charged with the
administration of the pure food law
If they want to sell things for the
American public to eat, they must pro-
duce and pack these things in clean,
decent and sanitary places. with pro-
cesses and appliances that can be APP
proved by the rather punctilious au-
thorities of Uncle Sam. And the first
thing the finicky old gentleman is in
sisting upon. is good scrubbing.
About half the bathing in the world
is said to be done by the American
people. 1t would seem that about three
quarters of the sweeping. busting and
house cleaning is so confined to this
country, if the reports of the food in
vestigations abroad are reliable. Re-
ports of the big cleaning-up operations
that are going on all over the levant in
dicate that the American pure food law
is in fair way to be greater bles-
sing to other countries than 1t will be
here.
Far East to "cIean Up"
The far east knows about as much
about modern sanitation as the Eski-
mos know about the religious predilec-
tions of the Martians. But the east
raises dates, figs. olives, olive oil.
rice and an endless list of things that
it wants to sell to the United States
To get them thru American custom
houses, there must be satisfactory
showing that they are fit to eat. A
vast quantity of them have been shown
to be utterly unfit; and in order to save
their transatlantic market the man
| ufacturers and packers of the east are
| suddenly taking a most animated in
terest in these curious notions about
| washing the hands, scrubbing the
floors. ventilating factories. and all
such peeyish eccentricties of the occi-
dent
| So it comes about that not only
Americans are in the way of getting
clean and healthful foods from the east,
but that other people who patronize
that picturesquely indecent region will
enjoy the blessing. The packer of figs
in Smyrna can't very we'll differenti-
ate: he can't put up his figs in decent
shape for the American market, without
I doing it for the rest of his trade. Con-
sequently, with some muttered invoca-
ton of Allahs curse upon these annoy
ing barbarians of the west. he is buy
ing Old Scotch Cleanser, getting intdo-
duce to the Gold Dust Twins, and call
ling in the plumber. He is contemplat-
ing the desirability of installing modern
sewerage system in his cities. and
bringing his water thru modern water
works system. Without any intentinon
to do anything so hetarodox, our ORR
entail friends are going to catch and
immunize a lot OF the germs of cholera
typhoid and other disorders that have
: enjoyed prodigious popularity in the
east.
Masnifying Glass Tells Story.
And all because Uncle Sam got t.
looking at his imports from the cas-
thru magnifying glass.
He found out so many things abou
them, that if they should all be writer
down, the appetite for figs and date.
, and Java sugar and preserved fruit.
and such things would be ruined fol
everybody who should read the Est
The pure food authorities are just gel
!. ting fairly into action in this depart
4 ment of their work Aside from TIL
l worry they are causing to merchant
and manufacturers of the east, the
y are making business very active IL
American consular agents in thos
!. regions. Not having the money to sen,
their own experts to Investigate condi
tons, the agricultural department ex
ecutives called upon the state depart
: ment for assistance in discovering tn
truth about these industrial conditions
It The consuls have been set at work !.
make reports on factory conditions an
}. the like in detail. The matter has al
ready gone so far as a general instruc
3, ton, in some regions, to report tn
rames of firms, corporations or indi
1, vidual shippers whose, goods are to Q
accepted as safe or unsafe. Til
# blacklist and whitelist, is a most ser
ious thing for the producer. II he get
v on the blacklist he is under suspicion
and his goods are liable to be barre
1, until he makes affirmative shown
that there has been reform in the cor
2, ditions of their production.
And There is Endless Grief.
In enforcing such a set of regu;
tions, against d lot &C people to who
filthiness is next to goodness, their
= endless grief For some time past I'm
;. porters of figs, to take a particuli
. case, have been in trouble because
:" the disposition to scrutinize their shil
ments very closely. A good many il
:" voices have been rejected at America