Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-11
SCIENTIFIC DETECTIVES
ny FREDERIC j. HASKIS.

WASHINGTON. ID. C.. May lot has
become impossible to cheat the govern
ment with label. You can't color cleo
margarine and get away with it-with-
out taxation; you can't sell bad whis-
ky for the price OF that bottled in
bond; you can't sell cocaine or hcroin
under n patcntmcdicine label. In fact.
all those ingenious little devices for
exploiting the public and evading gov
eminent taxation have become hope
lcssly difficult under the analytical
espionage Of the National Narcotics
Laboratory.
This government laboratory is To-
Gated in secluded corner or the Treas
ury Building, where the odors or NOR
phinc, opium and brandy Will not cx-
cite the curiosity OF Sightsecrs. Here
the governments scientific detectives.
under Or. y. Il. Adams, are At work on
various products shipped In By Fed
cral inspectors from all parts of tho
country. Sometimes the articles on
view are Of a romantic nature. such as
the Chinese opium pipe, which deco
rates the mantel OF the laboratory Of
fee. and the copper plate moonshine
stills in either corner OF the room; but
for the most part they consist of sam
pies of butter, olcomargarinc. mystic
rious Gelatine tablets containing color
ing matter, various samples OF dis
titled spirits and curious beverages
bearing the labels OF patent medicines.
ON receiving n sample OF butter or
oleomargarine marked Suspicious" by
the Federal inspector, the laboratory
chemist puts it through certain tests TO
discover IL it contains artificial color
ing matter. OleomarGarine is good.
healthy product. which n great many
Ia,
times 81 day In cafes and restaurants.
The coloring matter is not Injurious,
and the government il not concerned
with the practice so long as the speci-
fed tax is paid. The trouble arises
from the fact that colored oleomar-
garinc bears n tax OF 10 cents pound.
while the uncolored product is taxed
only one fourth of n cent a pound; and
the manufacturers dislike paying the
difference.
Methods Arc Elaborate.
SO elaborate were the methods OF
one Middle Western factory in avoiding
payment OF the tax on colorng mat
ter that IL took the government de-
tcctives several years to track the case
down. 1t seems that one OF the most
successful ingredients employed in coll
oring oleomargarine Is palm oil, which
is difficult to detect by chemical analy-
sis. This oil is derived from fruit
that grows wild on the western coast
OF Africa. somewhat resem bling the
olive, in that il is ieshy fruit with
large central pit. The flesh contains
80 per cent fat, and in its natural
state is very red. Half OF ] per cent
OF that red will color oleomarGarine so
skillfully that it requires the most ex-
pert eye to detect 1t.
The laboratory discovered the pres
ence of palm oil in this factory's prod
uct. but the factory denied II. When
the government tried to prove the TACT
by tracing shipments of the oil to the
concern 1t was unable To do It. The
case was curious. Here was the fac-
tory using palm oil in every pound OF
oleomargarine 1t turned out and yet
as far as could be ascertained II had
never received any shipments OF the
oil. Then, after some time had elapsed
tho detectives uncovered the mystry,
and the owners of the factory went
to prison, paying the government
million dollars in taxes. After all. 1t
was quite simple. The factory had
received the oil by means OF relay ship
ments An agent secured the oil at
an Eastern coast city. shipped II to
man in nearby town, who kept 1T a
couple of weeks and then shipped 1t TO
another address; here it was moved
from one railroad station to another
and shipped 1, some one else, and so
on until it reached an agent in the
| Middle Western town. who delivered II
secretaly to the factory.
Plot to Escape Taxes.
Another difficulty encountered by
the government is the plotting done by
the seller OF distilled liquors to escape
the taxes. When whisky is 100 per
cent OF the laboratory standard Of
strength and quality 1t pays tax of
l.s110 a gallon: when 10 per cent it
pays $l.2l "a gallon. and so on. Inspec-
tors are kept In the field. provided with
! instruments for testing various grades
| of whistles, and report the slightest
| inaccuracy between the quality and
| the amount OF taxes. close check Is
| kept on each distillery. 1t must give
| a full account of all the grain 1t uses,
| the amount used In each fermenter, the
| time the grain goes In that fermentcr.
| and the time 1t comes out, and the
| amount OF spirits made from It. The
| product Of the grain lying In the fer
| menting tubs is called distilled beer,
| and 1t Is the strength OF this which
! must he kept track Of by the govern
| ment Inspector. In spite Of these pre-
| cautions. four distilleries in q Southern
| city couple OF years ago succeeded In
| 100 gallons Of whisky out of every 200
| gallons distilled daily. The fraud was
discovered, however. and the taxes
| paid.
A frequent trick Of the INSCRIPTIONS
saloon-keeper is to pour inferior
| whisky into a bottle in bond and sell
| 1t to his customers Tor the original.
| This practice has been greatly inter-
I feied with recently by the Federal in
spectors. who arc apt to enter a saloon