The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-03-02
FIGHT FOR PURE FOOD.
Or. H. w. Wiley Tells How 1t Has
Shown Results.
BOUND TO WIN IN THE END.

Prediction Of Chief of National Chem
icaI Bureau, Who Says Nine-tenths
Of Manufacturers Are Now Turning
Out Unadulteraked Products--PoWer
Of Public In Aiding the Campaign.
DR.. 81. w. Wiley, chief of the bureau
OF chemistry in the department or az
ricniture at Washington. went to New
York recently to lecture at Columbia
university and look over the opera
lions of the New York government
laboratories in the appraisers stores.
While he did not feel at liberty to say
ANYTHING about the recent overruling
OF his decision that benzoate of soda
was harmful, he did say that he
thought. the pure food campaign had
been successful thus far and that 1t
was bound to win In the end.
"Of course you wilJ understand that
/ cannot place myself in the position
of criticising my superior officers"
said DR.. Wiley my own personal
views regarding the use of benzoate
of soda as a preservative are known
But my opinion has been set aside
and now the law says that benzoate
of soda is harmless and may be en-
ployed at will by the manufacturers.
As that Is the decision of my supe-
riors, | shall strive to uphold 1t as
best can.
II think we are having great success
in the pure food campaign. Both man
ufacturers and consumers are realiz
ing that it costs less in the long run
to make and eat uncontaminated sub
stances than stuff that has been boil
stored up by coloring matter and pre-
servatives Nine-tenths of the manu-
factuAers are now turning out I'M
adulterated products.
1.-THE rest, l am inclined to think,
will continue &isting authorizations on
the public as Dhg as they are permitted
to do so or as long as the public
will buy what they make After all.
when you come right down to facts.
there is no particular reason why the
spurious preserved products should
sell. They are made and sold simply
because people can be found to buy
them. In way, then, 1t is the pub
lies fault Let consumers positively
demand that what they buy shall be
pure and they will get only pure arti-
cles.
AS a matter of fact, you don't
make anything by buying what isn't
pure. On the face of things, it may
seem That you do, but analysis dis
nf hn noIv-
case Of .catchup, which has been much
to the fore recently. You can buy
perfectly pure, good catchup for Is
cents bottle. You can buy adulter-
ated catchnp for 10 cents a bottle, but
there is twice as much catchup, real
catchup, in the pure bottle, SO that to
get as much In the adulterated article
you must pay 20 cents.
1.-THE only reason the manufacturers
make spurious foods is that they are
avaricious. They can make few
more cents by cheapening their prod
net and using less expensive ingre-
dents. But more and more, j think.
they are beginning to appreciate that
honesty is the best policy. In other
words, the man who turns out food
that will stand the test is the man
whose products will keep the market
longest and increase sales steadily.
In this respect it is encouraging to
note, as I said, that manufacturers
representing In numbers and volume
of business transacted more than nine
fenths of the manufacturers of the
United States are selling only I'M
adulterated goods. / recently attend
ed convention of Gamers, at which
there were 5000 delegates. Resolu-
lions were passed in favor of the pure
food laws, and the delegates pledged
themselves to support them That is
proof of the trend Of public sentiment.
"Our great hope, though, lies In the
persistent education of the buying
public. 1t cannot be emphasized too
strongly that the final decision rests
with the consumer. If he refuses to
buy impure foods no manufacturer
will be willing to lose his money by
making stuff that cannot be sold. 1t
is the gullible, the ignorant and the
careless who encourage manufacturing
OF impure food.
~'Most of the canned goods on the
market today are guiltless of adultera-
ton, and steady Improvement is to be
noted in other things, such as pre-
serves, which are not sterillzed We
are at any rate forcing the manufac-
turers to obey the law. For instance,
the wine producers are much more
honest than they used to be. Use of
false foreign labels on domestic wines
is rare. Many manufacturers have
come AROUND to this view without un-
due pressure, and / am applying moral
suasion to the remaining delinquents
Ii that doesn't have the desired eff
feet I'll set the law on them.
In the course of time. as people
become sufficiently educated in the
facts Of the case. believe the men
who nsanufacture spurious, adulter-
ated foods viii be driven out of bust
ness. New York Post.
Flower From Lincoln's Bier.