The Sentinel=record., 1911-08-17
.DR. WILEY ON THE STAND
SAYS HE HAS SURRENDERED PRACTICALLY ALL AUTHOR. '
 iTY TO OTHER MEMBERS.
overruled by Other Members of the Board and Ignored by Secretary Wilson Food Expert Says
 He Was Poweriess. 4

Washington. D. O., Aug. l6.--Dr.
 Harvey w. Wiley, chief of the bureau !of chemistry of the agricultural de- lpartment, testified before the house Investigating committee today that ne Ihas surrendered practically all of his
 authority for enforcing the pure food flaws, to pr. F. l.. Dunlap, associate
 chemist, and George P. McCabe, so-
 hcitor of the agricultural department.
 Oyerruled in two.thirds of the cases The mas brought before the food ana
 drugs inspection board, composed of these two men and Himself, he de-
 clared he has found it useless to ap-
 peal to Secretary Wilson. and had
 not even received an answer to ons
 of the most important appeals he had
 made to the secretary.
 Dr. Wiley, summoned before the
 committee to tell of 'his connection
 with the employment of Dr. IT, H..
 Rusby, on an alleged illegal Contract Igave to the committee the most flium- !inating information that has been de- Iveloped in the investigation now be- ling made of the agricultural depart Iment.
 He testified he had never received
 the letter from Dr. Rusby which waB used by the personnel board to
 prove that he knew about the Rusby
 contract. He said that in using this letter the personnel board had omit
 ted it's most essential portion. namely lthe statement of Dr. Rusby that we
 have agreed on the following arrange
 ment as fair and satisfactory if ap- 1 proved by the department"
 Dr. Wiley stated that Solicitor Mc-
 Cabe held the decisive vote on the
 board of food and drug inspections
 When Dr. Wiley and Dr. Dunlap con- scented on questions of chemistry, 1t } was solicitor McCabe who decided T whether prosecution should ba made. In fully hundred cases, said } Dr. Wiley. where he and Dr. Dun-
 lap had voted together and Solicitor McCabe had disagreed with them, pr. Dunlap changed his vote to agree with MT. McCabe.
 Did you never appeal from these
 decisions?" he was asked.
 "I found 1t was useless to appeals said Dr. Wiley. For the secretary
 invariably upheld the decision of tna board. In two cases he dN appeal, he
 added, where he thought public health
 was seriously menaced."
 One of these involved the labelling of gluten flour, the food of diabetes patients. In this case The secretary upneld the board. , The other case involved the label ing of fruits and fruit products which
 contained sulphur dioxide. This suD- ject is now before the Remsen pure | food referee board. The board com posed of three cabinet members. Sec-
 retaries Macveagh, Wilson and Na-. | gel, decided that manufacturers could ) continue to use the sulphuric process | if the fact was made clear on the label. } MT. Wiley left the agricultural de- . partner GIG day at 400 o'clock to lgo to Boston. Between that time and 4:30. when the department closed. ) he said, a special meeting of the
 board of food and drug inspection was called. Dr. Dunlap acting as chair ; man and decision was made over ruling the three secretaries" board and permitting manufacturers to use , the sulphuric process without publish } ing the fact on their labels. | As soon as he returned to Wash ington and learned of the action. said l Dr. Wiley, he wrote to Secretary
 Wilson, appealing to him from the decision and declaring that he health of the public. particularly of 'nvalids. to whom fruit juices are often pre-
 scribed. was seriously threatened py ] the decision and that the board of food and drug inspection had no right
 to overrule the three secretaries. What was Secretary wilsor's ans ] wer?" asked Representative Floyd of
 Arkansas. who has conducted the questioning for the Moss committee. T never received m answer" said lDr. Wiley.