The Washington times., 1911-03-23
KEEPING UP WAR
ON IMPURE FOOD
Department of Agriculture
Steadily At Work Despite
Criticisms.
MANY JUDGMENTS
AGAINST OFFENDERS
Long List of Fines Paid Testify
to Activity of
- Officials.

The Department of Agriculture. In tht
midst of an incessant cross-fire OF crltl'
cism, keeps steadily at work ENFORCING
the pure food and drugs act.
Plenty of critics declare the depart
ment is utterly lax in the enforcement
of the law and is letting the manutac'
- turers of adulterated foods and drugs DC
altogether too much as they please
This is denied by the department from
Secretary Wilson down to the messen'
gers.
The shadow of the benzoate of soda
experience is still hanging over the de-
partment and probably always WILL un-
less il Is determined TO suppress pen
Eoate of soda The action with respect
TO benzoate of soda had the erect OF
making a lot of people lose confidence IN
the administration of the pure food act.
But in spite of this the department
every little while gives out a long list
Of notices of judgment against onenoers
against the pure food and drugs act
which serves to show 1t Is by no means
asleep.
Interesting Reading.
A recent batch of these decisions, al
n ost anyone OF them, in fact, makes in
teresting reading. For instance, IN the
list is a notice of judgment against
Gloucester, Mass. company for sending
into PENNSYLVANIA a consignment OF
what was called prime Italian Goldfish
1t was found to be common Goldfish that
had ever seen Italy, and, moreover
was decomposed. The shipment was
condemned and destroyed. Notice OF
Judgment was given against the same
company for misbranding of salt hsh.
A New York city firm shipped into
New Jersey a substance known as New
York Brand Extract Lemon Compound.
II was found adulterated and mis-
branded and contained a quantity OF
acetanilide in a proportion not stated on
the label. The defendant pleaded guilty
and was fined SIS.
Misbranded Gin.
Misbranded Geneva gin, misbranded
coffee, misbrandcd vanilla flavor and
lemon flavor and misbranded peppermint
extract are among the substances re-
Gently seized by the department on
which judgments were obtained against
the parties guilty of making them. The
So-called vanilla and lemon fiavors were
imitation products colored with coal-tar
dye. The peppermint extract was col
ored with coal-tar dyes and was both
sdulterated and misbranded.
a shipment of "Gauvin's Aniseed Syr-
I'D" contained acetate of morphin and
was adjudged harmful because of the
large proportion of it. In this case the
defendant pleaded guilty and paid
fine of $50
A packing company in Cincinnati ship
ped into Wisconsin a lot of tomato cat
sup which was found to be swarminS
with bacteria and containing yeasJs and
spores. 1t was condemned
Criticism might be made that the pen
alties imposed for traffCking in sub
stances grossly unfit for human use
are light. They seldom go above S25.
The departments answer to this is that
the law itself does not contemplate
heavy fine, but that the real punishment
to manufacturers Of such products is in
the publicity given their wares. The
department distributes the notices of
Judgment widely among manufacturing
esta blishments and a manufacturer
guilty of violating the law gets we'll
advertised. The department thinks this
Is q more effective deterrent than the
amount of the fine or the condemnation
Of a shipment.