Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-22

IL certainly one Of the inferior ma
terials' in Doctor Ladd's category.
AS for the liquids: water in excess Of
s per cent is objectionable. yet some
pigments Of good painting value will
show more ON analysis. Besides, wa
ter Is never used in those products to
which manufacturers attach their own
names. Water appears in the cheaper
products used, largely because OF their
price, on cheap contract work done
by painters and in some paints sold
direct to consumers In the original
packages.
Benzine, another liquid commonly
classed as inferior" may be good or
bad accordingly to circumstances. For
| ordinary exterior work would as will
ingly have the painter use heavy
gravity benzine as turpentine. I am
personally acquainted with Professor
Ladd, whose purposes and work I ad-
mire.
My objection to the formula law
| which he advocates is that 1t sets up
a false and misleading standard, and
that it can not be impartially and
effectively enforced, except under the
interested and expert supervision
which he devotes to it.
prevalent in the paint trade, that COM
petition tends to eliminate such abuses
as have existed. and that the public
will ultimately suffer injury rather
than receive benefit from the formula
law.
Practically all manufacturers pro-
duce grade Of paint which is the best
their knowledge and skill enable them
to formulate. Such paints are sold
without understanding, agreement, or
connivance everywhere at about the
same price, The manufacturers place
all their advertising energy and sell
| ing skill behind such produce, and
their own names upon the package.
Competition in these is on quality
alone, and not on price.
With the formula fixed and large
| investment in labels, what argument
| would there be left except the argu-
ment Of price;and what incentive to
! improvements every one OF which
means a heavy loss in old labels ana
heavy expense in new?
| There is some fraud and some abuse
! in the paint trade-it would be
phenomenal trade that did not have
| them-but not so much by 10 per cent
as when I first became acquainted with
the trade, and not nearly enough to
warrant or justify the drastic regula-
ton proposed.
Any paint consumer today can go
| into practically any paint store and
buy paint that is honest, of high pro-
| tective value, and durable In color, II
he sticks to high-class goods bearing
| the name Of a legitimate and respon-
sible manufacturer. AS soon, how
ever, as he begins to ask for some
thing cheaper" he is venturing on I'M
charted seas: but if the formula were
on the can his risk would still be
greater, since, with the formula on
them, they would be the cheapest that
could be produced under the formula.
| It Is a fact that the manufacturer
makes less money on poorer paint
than on his best grade. because the
competition with them is largely price
| rather than quality.
For trial, gilt-edge chance to de-
ceive the public, a clever manufactur-
err could ask for nothing better than the
! certificate of quality conferred byNthe
| formula label.
Paint manufacturers are unanimous
| among themselves that it is ineffective
as a protection to the consumer. bur-
densome. expensive, and hampering to
| improvement as a regulation for the
manufacturer.