New Britain herald., 1919-05-15

almed uually to convey the impression
 that the article is of higher grade
 or more expensive than it actually is.
 As a dishonest clothing merchant wip
 ometimes brand--as all wool--cIoth
 which Is a mixture of wool and cot
 ton, so the dishonest food manufac-
 turer or merchant at times tries to
 pass off his cheaper foods under the
 name of higher priced ones Mis-
 branded foods which are not also
 adulterated may be wholesome and
 nutritious, but the purchasers are
 misIcd as 10 tho quality or quantity
 and are induced in many instances to
 pay higher price than the articles
 are worth. As a result of the opera
 tons of the food and drugs act there
 is today much less misbranding in foods than in any other general class .
 Of merchandise sold 10 the public
 Patent and Proprietary Medicines The charge. in the majority of the more than six hundred patent and proprietary medicine cases included in the notices or judgment was based On false and fraudulent statements on
 the labels as to the therapeutic or curative powers Of tho preparations Worthless preparations carried claims
 on the labels of curative powers for
 such dangerous diseases as tuberculo-
 sis, diphtheria. scarlet fever, typhoid
 fever and influenza, as we'll as for
 host Of less fatal malades.
 some Stock Eceds .NduItCratCd.
 Many cases were based on the udui-
 teration or misbrand!ng Of stock ceed
 The adulteration charge usually con-,
 sisted in the substitution of q sub,
 stance with little feeding value for one
 1,i
 stance, ground cottonseed Auus in
 place Of tott0nsccd meal; rice nulIs
 in place of rice bran, and mill and elevator screenings in place of rnll feeds. The favorite form of mis-
 branding as shown by 1he notices of judgment was to claim on tha labels
 of a hishcr percentage Of protein and fat, and a lower ~perccntazc of crude fiber than the feeds actually con ain ed. Charges Of short weig ght@ were also made jn a number of stocN-fcaG cascr. ImproS cmcnt in Trade Pr2ctices.l ]. Most of the srosser forms of adulss iteration &nG misbrandine on WnictIs the earlier cases were based haze been eliminated as general trade pract1ces5 say the officials. Occasional Spcra die instances on the part of widely scat tered dealers to ddulterate and miS brand in the old way are still detect ed. but such pra CtiCes are no longer 1 general. New and more subtle forms 1 of adulteratiCn. however, are appear ing. While the chief part o1 the great ! volume Of food products that is ship l ped into interstate commerce is free 1 from adulteration and misbranding,
 vigilance on the part of inspectors is 1 1L,on t1 I, ] continue to adulterate. 1 The industries frequently volunteer l to eliminate practices which the de- partm ent holds to be contrary to the 1 requirements of the food and drugs l act and as a result many reforms of 1 far-reaChing effect are brought about
 without recourse to legal action. ! Among the many trade practices that l have been checked or almost entirely 1 eliminated either by legal action, vol unteer co-dperation on the part Of the ! industries, or by educational cam paigns may be mentioned few m stances, as the coloring of canned peas with copper; the use of dangerous , conservatives; the sweating or lrlhla- 1 ture oranges and grapefruit 10 6lVe ! them the appearance of ripe fFulI' tHe adulteration of grain with water Io 1 give added weight; taking oysters l from water polluted with sewage
 canning decomposed fish; the hlahu- facturc of foods from refuse prouucCS' l especially tomato products; anu Al"h 1 ing baking powder and gelatlhe III
 such a way that the finished pFooucU ! contains lead or arsenic rom 'lie utensils or materials used i'll the man" l ufacture.