The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1910-05-13
o>sG ANALYSIS
Pure Focd Commission 70 Ostsrmlne
gQuaihA oy this Method

Pure Focd Commission 10 Ostsrmlne
Qualis ~ this Method
vern1lnon-what 10 proving to DO
one OF the most important branches
OF the state administration OF South
Dakota II the state food and drag
commission. a the head Of which is
Prof. Alfred n. Cook OF vermi lion,
who also II connected with the chem
is;ry department Of the state uniyer-
siiy here.
The department. said Prof. Cook,
has this year taken mp thr systematic
examination AZ drugs In the state.
Several hundred analysis will have
been made before the end OF the ear
We are not yet ready to publish thia
list Of anAlyse 4 but sufsee II To say
that n large per CEN of them are eth
err above ar below the standard. ahow-
ing that IL was high time that this de-
~parfnent of work was Instituted.
About Ave hundred SAMPLES OF
foods have been analyfed In our lab
o~ra.orics sinoe the present commits
sioners assumed once last July. Sp@-
eiai attention has been given canned
goods, Chemical analysis n the only
satisfactory basis of inspection. OH
work has disclosed that the food sit
uation from the standpoint Of adult
seration II In very satisfactory con-
dition, There Is a very common idea
that the majority ri foods ON sale In
the market are badly adalterated.
which Is far from the truth. The fact
Ia that only n very small per cent are
found TO be ~aauiterated and those
who buy the best grades IL gooss
stand a very small chance OF buying
ANYTHING which could be considered
adnlterafed.
There are many firms that would
sell adniteraied goods II they dared,
but the food situation ~ being so
closely watched by Roth state and ma
tional food officials. that the hirhly
adnlterated and 'doped' goods OF a
very few years ago have nearly dis
appeared from the market. Most OF
the companies doing wholesale busi-
ness are upright and honorable ana
have no desire to sell Illegal goods.
However, eternal vigilance Is the
price OF success, There are COM
spanies not a few. that are seeking ev-
cry legal and lax ioopho1e n sneak
In Illegal goods. In the hope OF avoid
ing detection. and II the Arm grin the
Law now has On the situation should
relax for a single year. the country
wou,d be flooded with authorizations
MS had a. four wears ago, and all
manufacturers and wholesalers would
be compelled 10 cone 20 the level OF a
few years ago or else 20 TO the wali
II wish 10 say a word In this con-
nectfon with regard 10 the national
department nj Washington. Several
articles have recently appeared In
various parts Of the country de-
ncuncing the work OF the national de-
rartment and decla ring that the ma
tional lrnre foodl law bad become a
dead letter. Since being appointed
commissioner ! have come In ciose
touch with the work Of the natlonai
denartment I'm many points and can
sneat from absolute knowledge. ard
would say that such articles and
statements, In my Judgment. have
been inspired Nv the enemies ~ the
national denartmsnt. or by irnoranee
"The national department has prov
ed n yerv great help In enforcing the
law IN South Dakota, Thew are con-
Quoting prosecutions daily Throughout
the countrv against persons who are
violating interstate commerce laws
with regard % foods and drugs. TNe~e
are a few instances where things
might be different. hut | feel certain
the national department Ia making an
honest effort to rrotee' the CONSUME
ing public. and I DOUBT II there In any
national law on the statute books
today which IL better enforced, a~d
very few which are so well enforced.