Weekly journal-miner., 1916-12-20
COOPERATION IS BENEFICIAL ID
 THE PEOPLE
FOOD AND DRUG LAWS ARE MADE MORE EFF FECTIVE BY STATE AND FEDERAL ACTION.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16. - The work accomplished by the co-operat- i've efforts of the officials charged with the enforcement of the Federal food and drugs act and the officials who enforce State laws regulating commerce in similar products is out lined in the annual report of the chief of the bureau of chemistry, Unit ed States department of agriculture, which has just been published. The report states that such cooperation has been more effective than ever be- fore owing to the manner in which the office of State cooperative food and drug control has conducted it's work. This office was established in 1914 for the purpose of making food and drug law enforcement more eff fective by facilitating the systematic exchange of information regarding law violations and methods of detect ing them between Federal and State officials and among officials of the various States. In the absence of some quick method of distributing such information it might be possible for manufacturer to dispose of his adulterated products in other States for some time after detection.
 The cooperative work, however, has accomplished much more than the exchange of information Federal and State officials have united their efforts in improving the food supply in def mite localities and for the correction of specific abuses in the production and sale of particular products. For instance, the Federal and State off cials co-operated in the sanitary con trol of the milk supply of small cities near State boundaries in the States oi Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Ne i braska, and in New England These cities received part of their milk sup ply from the State in which they were located and part from ncighborine States. The part of the supply that came from other States could best be handled under the Federal law, foi that law applies to all foods and drugs shipped into interstate com mcrcc: that is, shipped from one State 10 another. Thus all parties reSpon- siblc for the shipment of adulterated milk could be reached whether they resided in the State where the milk was sold or not Without the CO operation of the Federal officials il would not be possible for the State officials to reach effectively the of lenders residing in other States. ''It Is proposed to repeat this work year after year." the report states, "cx- tending it each year 10 new territory Similar cooperative work has beer done on the control of the shipment of decomposcd eggs so effectively that this traffic has been broken up
 Food and drug officials found that owing to high prices prevailing for certain synthetic drugs used extcn- sivcly by physicians in the treatment of various diseases there were being put on the market cheap limitations which were sold under the name and label of the genuine medicines but which on examination were found tc have little or none of the therapeutic effects of the genuine articles. Though number of shipments were seized and number of individuals success fully prosecuted under the Fedora food and drugs act, and indictment: returned under the postal laws. tho traffic could not De wholly suppressed by Federal action, nor all the offend
 CTS reached. The situation was laiC before the State and municipa officials, who instituted many prosecutions and seizures, with tho result that the joint action of tn, Federal, State, and municipal official. broke up this fraudulent traffic
 As the result of joint action be tween the Federal and State officials or independent action based upon tn, exchange of information regarding law violations, much work was don' during the year 10 clear the channels of commerce from dccomposcC canned goods, dccomposcd fish anc poultry. polluted or watercd oysters watcrcd scallops, liquors containing wood alcohol nisbranded nostrums adulterated oats. misbranded cotton seed meal, misbrandcd stock feeds and large number of other adulter ated or misbranded foods and drugs
 The work of the office of State co operative food and drug control ha
 brought about greater uniformity il the administration oi the Federal an, of the various State food and drui laws. In the opinion of the food an, drug officials, uniform and cooper