Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-25
STUDY OF REMsEN REPORTS
GIVES vlNplcATloN FOR PURE
FOOD EXPERT.
BOARD OF CHEMISTS
FULLY SUSTAIN DR.. WILEY
5enzoate of Soda Order Too Sweeping
In Its Privileges Because Report
Was Observation-Disclosures Canal
City Named in Honor of Balboa
Washington Gossip.
Especial Correspondence.A

| washington, May 25-Study of the
huge report, just issued, blu the gu
preme court in chemistry" which Pres
ident Roosevelt established, has con-
WINGED some of the food-law sharps that
after all DR.. Harvey w. Wiley is SUBJ
stantially sustained by the boards YER
dict on benzoate of soda.
This board of famous chemists was
asked to investigate with care and da-
tail the action of sodium benzoate in
the human system and on the digestive
processes: also, to determine the ef-
fects of this, the most widely used pre-
which it is used.
When the report of the board was
first submitted a statement was given
out concerning its results which led
to the impression that the careful and
long continued experiments had deval-
oped practically nothing which could
be regarded as to the discredit of the
preservative. AS a result of that con-
clusion, the three cabinet officers who
are the executives of the pure food
law issued an authorization for the
use of the preservative without limit
This order was signed by Secretaries
Cortelyou, Straus and Wilson and was
issued just before the conclusion OF the
Roosevelt administration.
1t is now claimed that the conclusion
and the order issued were too sweep
ing: that the careful study of the 500
page report of the experts shows that
IN fact conclusions We're reached which
are decidedly hostile 10 benzoate. in
tevery case in which the board found
any evidence that the use of benzoata
mad any effect at all, the conclusion
was adverse. More than this. in eveey
case where the board found any dele
terious effect, its description of what
1t found agreed with the conclusions
|of Doctor Wiley from his experiments.
1t is now alleged that the referee
board did not use the ordinary sodium
benzoate of commerce. which common
ly goes into foods as a preservative,
but greatly inferior and different
article, which would be certain TO have
much more marked effects when taken
into the system. AS a result, the whole
matter seems to have been more con-
fused than ever. The people who all
along have opposed the use of the pre-
servatives are in nowise convinced;
and the association of state food law
authorities is getting ready to hold
series of Its own experiments, as
guide to administration of the state
laws. The specialists in national food
law matters are more than ever dis
posed to the opinion that nothing short
of amendment authorizing the fixing
of standards for foods will be a salts
factory solution
The Pacific end of the Panama ca
raj has had it's name changed from La
Boca to Balboa, as an honor to the
first European who discovered the Pa
cific ocean.
The Atlantic terminal is named
Cristobal Colon, in honor of Columbus.
La Boca" is Spanish for "the mouth"
and it was thought by President Taft
that much more suggestive and APP
propriate name would be that Of the
great explorer who found the eastern
shore of the greatest of all the oceans.
The suggestion originated with the
Peruvian minister in Washington. who
called it to the attention of President
Taft. He pointed out that the change
of the name would be especially a COM
pliment to Peru, because Peru esteems
itself the country which most BEN
Gifted by the discovery of the Pacific.
President Taft without any direction
in the matter, suggested the matter to
Secretary of War Dickinson, who in
turn passed it on to Colonel Goethals,
chairman and chief engineer on the
zone. The prompt result was the order
changing the name to Balboa. The
name of the explorer is thus after
more than four centuries, fixed on one
Of the great trade routes of the
world.
The immensely of the loot which the
American government acquired when
it bought the Panama canal from
France is suggested by a recent news
note from the canal. Last year an old