The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1916-12-21

witness to give expert testimony as to
what may fairly be called condensed
milk.
That at least, was the situation few
years ago. It soon became clear to
the officials entrusted with the enforce
ment Of the pure food and drug Law
that before they could have much sue
cess in preventing the misbranding and
adulterating Of foods, they must decide
what those foods are. For when you
come to think oft, a sardine is merely
anything that anybody wants 10 call
sardine, and American cheese is what
ever somebody makes and labels that
way. This does not apply TO drugs
because there is pharmacopeia OF the
United States on which each Of these
drugs is defined, and its exact chemic,
al composition set down. So lhat when
you buy quinine sulphate, you may be
reasonably sure that you are getting
that drug as provided in the pharma-
copeia. Otherwise the manufacturer
Of it would be liable to prosecution
These officials saw that what they
needed was pharmacopeia Of foods,
so to speak, so that when you say
noodles or macaroni or vinegar or maple
Syrug, you mean something jus, as de,
finite in composition and quality as
when you order quinine sulphate or
peroxide Of hydrogen or sodium phos,
phate.
To this end the secretary Of agricul-
ture appointed about three years ago
a committee Of nine state and federal
chemists 70 draw up such a pharma,
topeia Of foods. The committee has
been working ever since, aud it has &C
complished somsthing, but oaly lit
tie for the task is an immense one and
there is no appropriation TO pay fer the
vast number Of special analyses nee
cessary,
Now-and this is what we have been
carefully leading up to all this time al
appropriation Of SIS 600 has oeen
asked by the Department of A.,laul
lure, so that it may carry this lmgr
ant work 10 completion. Tna item h
been placed in the apprJpIitiIln bI
which is now in the hands Of the Ap-
propriatiOn Committee, aud will come
before this short session OF Congress.
II you want 10 see a fine example Of
how progressive Legislation fares in Con
gress watch the fate Of this little ap.
propriation. Likewise il you believe
that cracker should be defined once |
and Tor all, SO that nobody can sell you
one made Of Sawdust, write to your con |
gresham and tell him to vote fox this
appropriation.
As you can see, this standardization
ot food is logical necessity to the en-
tOrcement Of the food and drug law. It
ought 10 have been done in the first
place. When practically all kinds Of
food have been defined and standard
lied and these standard definitions have
been published, a great work will have
been accomplished tor both the pro.
ducer and the consumer. There is no
doubt but what these standards when
published BY the government, will have
almost the force Of Law, and that a pro-
ducer for example, who labels
product maple syrup when it is not
made Of maple sugar will be readily |
convicted Of misbranding as soon as it
is shown that his product does not con |
form TO the government standard. |
Furthermore the officials Of a large |
number Of the states are empowered |
10 fix or promulgate standards for foods
and these will almost certainly adopt
tn, government standards thus giving
them the force Of law, and making
them Uniform for the whole county.
Now it is evident that the measure
will in reality be boon TO the honest
producer. II he is manufacturing a
genuine macaroni, fot example out Of
durum wheat grtund in the proper way
and competitor puts out a macaroni
made Of ordinary -four, the letter will
not be allowed to call his product mac