The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-05-26
MANY PURE FOOD
LAWS VIOLATED
Bureau Prosecutes More Than One
Hundred Each Month"; ever
Failed To Secure Conviction.
WILEY AND ALsBERG COMPARED
One the Agitator, While the Other Is
Just the Plain Scientist-Manu-
turers Comply With Demand.

BY Congressman G.. H. Tavenner.
Washington, May 26.-No greater
contrast in men could we'll be ina
gined than that between DR.. Harvey
r. Wiley, former chief of the Bureau
of Chemistry, and his successor. DR..
Carl l.. Alsberg.
DR.. Wiley was the agitator, the
man to whom the propaganda for
pure food came first, with the scien-
tific aspects of his work the second
airy consideration. DR.. Alsberg is
just the reverse. He is primarily the
cold scientist, science being his first
interest, the result of his work for
public good being secondary with
him, just as the surgeon discovering
a new disease germ, is enamored by
the scientific pursuit, although his
discovery may be of vast good to hui
mainly. |
When Dr. Wiley retired he became
editor of popular magazine. Few
men ever heard of DR.. Alsberg before
he became chief of the bureau, and
since then, except for few public
addresses, a few official statements,
and his name on the official litera-
ture Of the bureau, he has not come
before the public
DR.. Wiley's agitation brought about
the pure food law. He was the man
who was needed for this work. His
successor is above all; an executive
With scientific exactness he has re-
organized the Bureau of Chemistry,
and the new organization, it. is
claimed, without fuss or advertising,
is enforcing the pure food law as
it was never enforced before.
The public is no longer terrified
daily with analysis of poisoned foods,
but that does not mean that the pure
food law has been abandoned or that
the food dopesters have dropped their
frauds. On the contrary adultation
and misbranding continues and the
bureau continues to prosecute at the
rate of 100 cases a month. A single
recent circular issued by the bureau
announced that 81 branded products
had been seized, and that the gov
eminent won every prosecution in
the list, collecting fines of from $25
to $3.50 as we'll as confiscating the
shipments.
Dr.. Alsberg has undertaken a new
venture in publishing opinions rend-
cred by experts of the bureau in re-
Spouse to queries usually submitted
about manufacturers about matters
of adulteration and branding.
One manufacturer desired to put
out a product suitably Favored and
colored to represent macaroon paste,
and desired to know if this could be
sold lawfully as macaroon paste pro-
vided the actual ingredients were
mentioned on the label. DR.. Alsberg
replied that it must De called "imita-
ton macaroon PASTE"
Another asked for a definition of
caviar. Popularity this product is
supposed to be the roe of sturgeon
prepared in certain way, but as a
matter of fact the roe Of other fish
is frequently used. Therefore, re-
piled the accurate Dr. Alsberg, al
though caviar is any fish roe pre-
pared in this way, the public believes
it to be sturgeon caviar, and when
any other fish roe is used the pro-
duct should be marked "whitefish
caviar" and so forth.
Stringless beans, declared the doc
tor, can be string beans of any va
riety prepared at certain stage of
development when the fibrous mat
ter is tender.
DR.. Alsberg is trying to teach food
manufacturers that it is better bust
ness to turn out clean food than rot
ten food. And he is trying to i'm
press the public that if the demand
is for pure food they will probably
get it.