Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-18


become impossible to cheat the gov
eminent with label. You can't color
oleomargarine and get away with it
without taxation; you can't sell bad
whisky for the price OF that bottled in
bond; you can't sell cocaine or heroin
under patent medicine label. In fact
all those ingenious little devices for
, exploiting the public and evading gov
eminent taxation have become hope.
lessly difficult under the analytical
espionage of the national narcotics lab
oratory.
This government laboratory Is locat-
ed in secluded corner of the treasury
building, where the odors of morphine,
opium and brandy will not excite the
curiosity of sightseers. Here the gov
ernment's scientific detectives, under
DR.. A. B. Adams are at work on various
products shipped in by federal inspec-
tors from all parts Of the country.
Sometimes the articles on view are Of
romantic nature, such as the Chinese
opium pipe which decorates the mantel
of the laboratory Office and the cop
per plate moonshine stills In either
| corner of the room, but for the most
part they consist of samples Of butter.
oleomargarine. mysterious gelatine
tablets containing coloring matter,
various samples of distilled spirits and
curious beverages bearing the labels
of patent medicine.
On receiving a sample of butter or
oleomargarine marked suspicious" by
the federal inspector, the laboratory
chemist puts it through certain tests
to discover If it contains artificial col
oring matter. Oleomargarine is good
healthy product, which great many
' persons eat on the average of three
times a day in cafes and restaurants.
The coloring matter is not injurious
and the government is not concerned
with the practice so long as the specl-
fed tax Is paid. The trouble arises
from the fact that colored oleomargar-
inc bears tax of ten cents a pound,
while the uncolored product Is taxed
only one-fourth Of a cent pound; and
the manufacturers dislike paying the
difference. ..%.2 sg
So elaborate were the methods of
one middle western factory in avoiding
payment of the tax on coloring matter
! that it took the government detectives
several years to track the case down.
It seems that one of the most sue
cessful ingredients employed In color
/ ing oleomargarine is palm oil, which
Ia difficult to detect by chemical analy-
sis. This oil is derived from a fruit
that grows wild on the western coast
of Africa, somewhat resembling the
olive. in that it is fleshy fruit with
large central pit The flesh contains
;; thirty per cent fat, and in its natural
state is very red. Half Of one per
cent of that red will color oleomargar-
inc so skillfully that it requires the
most expert eye to detect 1T.
The laboratory discovered the pres
ence of palm oil in this factory's pro-
, duct, but the factory denied It, When
the government tried to prove the iact
! by tracing shipments of the oil to the
concern, it was unable to 40 SO: Inc
, case was curious. Here was the factory
using palm oil In every pound OF oieo-
margarine 1t turned out, and yet as lar
as could be ascertained 1t had never
received any shipments OF the OIL.
! Then. after some time had elapsed, the
, detectives uncovered the mystery anu
| the owners OF the factory went 20
prison, paying the government MIL
| lion dollars in taxes. After all, II was
| quite simple: The factory had receiy'
! ed the oil by means of relay shipments.
An agent secured the oil at an eastern
coast city, shipped it to a man IN q
nearby town, who kept it a couple OF
weeks and then shipped 1t TO announcer
address: here 1t was moved from one
railroad station to another and snip,
ned to some one else, and so on until
+ reached an agent in the middle wes'