The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-07-27
SUMNER SEASON MOST sTRENU.
Gus FOR STATE FOOD AND
DRUG OFFICERS.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
From the Capital City, the Various
State Institutions and from
Many Different Parts Of
the Sunshine State.


Pierre
Members of the South Dakota food
and drug department staff have been.
unusually busy of late on account of
the warm weather. and a grist of
prosecutions has followed in the wake
of their activity. The summer season
Is always a strenuous one for the food
inspector, and when hot weather
comes on 81 suddenly as it did this
summer, 1t is sure to cause more or
less grief for the careless food ven
dor. That perennial source of trouble
and shameless, the filthy slaughter
house, is in for its share of attention,
as witness the fact that three propri-
etors of neat market have paid heavy
fines in the past few days. One at
Stratford was assessed $25 in the Alb
erdeen municipal court and two at
Redfield were fined $50 each for slau-
entering animals in filthy ~insanitary
places.
Any relaxation in the care with
which the baker keeps his shop these
hot days is likely to be regarded with
a fine is evidenced by the prosecu-
ton recently in Sioux Falls Of a baker
at Garretson. He was fined $40 for
maintaining an unclean shop. A res.
taurant keeper at Redfield was fined
$25 for serving food in an unclean
and ~insanitary place. The department,
through the inspectors and by letter
had advised the offenders Of the laws
requirements, and given warning that
prosecution would likely follow fur.
Their failure to operate under decent
conditions.
Inspectors have also been busy can.
ding eggs and have found some cases
which warranted court action. A farm.
er at Highmore and one at Peever
were each fined by local justices for
selling rotten eggs, while a merchant
at Parkston was fined $40 and costs
for selling rotten eggs to a produce
buyer in Bridgewater. Several in,
spectors are Gambling eggs and watch,
ing closely for violations of the state
law. 1t is extremely gratifying, how
ever, to the department to note the
remarkable improvement in the quail
'ty of eggs marketed this year as com,
pared with former years. Three years
ago such a period of hot weather as
has prevailed during the past three
weeks would have caused the market
to be flooded with eggs of very poor
quality. This year, however, because
Of the far greater care being exercised
by farmers and merchants, it is diff
cult to find a lot of eggs in which
there are a sufficient number of bad
eggs to Justify criminal prosecution,
To be sure, the inspectors are unable
to find but a small part Of the total
violations, but the number which they
find is so much less than in former
years that it is very good evidence
that better eggs are being marketed
in South Dakota today than ever be.
, fore at this season.
In another town an inspector of the
department caused to be destroyed a
lot of bedding infested with bedbugs.
Ten mattresses, sixteen comforters
and a lot of filthy mating and rugs,
together with two bug-ridden beds
and bed springs, were hauled to
the town dump, saturated with kero'
e n and set afire. The hotel from
which these furnishings were taken is
now being thoroughly renovated and
cleaned on recommendation of the in,
spector, and no new bedding will be
placed in it until the cleaning is com
pleted.