The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-15
.LADD EXPOSES
PAINT FRAUDS
LATEST BULLETIN CONTAINS
COMPLETE ANALYSIS or LARGE
NUMBER OF RAINTs-MANY.
CONTAIN CLAY AND OTHER
POOR INGREDIENTS.

More paint frauds are exposed by
Prof. e. L. Ladd in his latest bulletin.
That many OF these paints are com
posed to some extent of clay and wa
ter, common mud. is the finding OF
the well known chemist.
Professor Ladd has been made the
target for a great deal Of criticism,
and even threats from paint manu-
facturers over the country who do not
like to be shown up" Despite this
he had secured samples. and gone
ahead to make public the exact nature
of these frauds. The bulletin is No.
5 and can be secured by addressing
Prof. u. +. Ladd at the agricultural
college.
The following is the introduction as
written by Professor Laid:
There has been considerable criti-
cism directed against this department
because an active part has been TAX
on in the analysis and reports of paints
as found upon the market. 1t is also
true that there has been great deal
of opposition on the part of certain
manufacturers, to the enactment OF
paint laws. on the other hand. there
has been a strong growing sentiment
In favor of state and national laws
requiring all paints to show their true
composition on the label in order that
the public might be informed as to
the character of the product which
they are purchasing.
"One of the arguments put forth
by the paint manufacturers against
such laws has been that 1t would be
necessary that they give away trade
secrets and formulas which as re-
CURED years of work on their part to
perfect. AS a matter of fact there is
hardly paint manufacturer, who emf
ploys chemist, who has not made the
analysis of practically every competi-
tors paints. The writer has in his Of
flee copies of such analyses. several
hundred, from a single manufacturer
covering practically all Of the paints
sold in the territory in which he does
business. Again, there is scarcely a
paint on the market which cannot be
aralyzed by any good paint chemist
sufficiently complete to furnish the
formula as required upon the label at
a cost not to. exceed $50 for each paint,
1t is, therefore, absurd for the manu-
facturers to claim that they are Civ
ing away trade secrets in publishing,
as is required the composition of their
paints To know the composition of
paint as given by it's formula and
to be able to reproduce the paint on
the basis of the working formula, SO
as to duplicate the product, is quite
different proposition.
The enactment of state and national
paint laws will prove beneficial to
every honest paint manufacturer; ii
will promote the business Of the small
as we'll as the large manufactures,
and will not. as is claimed In some
instances, tend to monopolize the bust
ness in the hands of a few. 1t is
true that some firms of not very high
standing, perhaps in one or two in
stances for malicious purposes, have
proceeded to make paints and print on
their labels the formulas corre-
spending to those of other manufac.
turers AS yet, we have not been able
to secure certain of these paints for
analysis, but we hope to do so at an
early date, and make q careful study
Of the same in comparison with the
paints which they are claimed to have
duplicated.
influence to the enactment of laws
which will prove deceiving and mis-
leading to the consuming public will
only bring upon themselves disaster
In the end. Men who lend themselves
to an attempt to secure such legis.
lation are not helping their cause. al.
though they may gain temporary ad-
vantage. Not only should there be
legislation which requires that each
and every paint and paint product be
labeled, but there should be legislation
which requires that each and every
article of manufacture no matter what
the nature of the product Is, shall be
truthfully labeled as to what IL is.
The deception which has been prac-
ticed in paint Is no greater than that
which has been practiced in the sale
of cotton goods, WOOL linen. in boots
and shoes, and above all in silks. IN
Is but a short time before the public
will become so thoroughly aroused
and educated in this matter that they
will demand a sweeping law which
will protect them from all this class
Of deception and fraud The sooner
the day comes the better IT Will be
for the honest manufacturer; the bet
ter 1t will be for the consuming public
and country at large.
THE analyses are reported have, fin |
some instances been available In this
department for a long time. Threats |
Of suits, inJunctions and attempts to |
bring about political pressure to head |
on the publication Of the results made |
{ necessary that we secure from au-
-hentic sources additional samples for
examination and thus verify our find- /
ngs. In some cases the agents have
samples direct from the
manufacturer and can produce receipts
or the same, SO that there can be no
nor substitution in such cases.
1T Is said also that at least In one
ocality effected certain men in con-
ference devised scheme whereby they
Hoped by pressure and threats to force