Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-19
TESTING AMERICAS SUPPLIES
TOLD OF BY HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic }. Haskip

WASHINGTON, July 19-Adhe-
sive plaster, apricots anvil, arma-
lures. aquarium for frogs, asparagus,
asbestos, atomizers. This list may
look like a random selection OF
words from chapter one of the die
tionary, but it was really taken from
a file catalog of the Bureau OF
Chemistry. 1t represents a few Jt
the things beginning with "A"
which that bureau la been buying,
and it affords some idea of the va
riety of articles used by one of the
most versatile branches of the gov
eminent.
The Bureau of Chemistry buys u
greater and more interesting as
sortment of useful articles than any
other government office. If You
doubt this, consider the case of a
single section of the bureau which
is connected with the enforcement
of the Pure Food and Drugs Act.
Every food and drug product thai
is shipped in interstate commerce
or imported into this country comes
uhder the regulations of this act.
Consequently. samples of practi-
cally every item of this sort on the
market are bought at one time or
another to be inspected and perhaps
aralyzed by the bureau chemists.
The host of patent and proprietary
edicines, as well as drug produces
that are sold on doctors prescrip-
items, are examined. Strange
cLeeses and food pastes imported
for the use of foreigners in this
country are among h samples
which come into the food labora-
tory, and with them are sent in AL
the ordinary foods in cans, packages
aad bottles.
The government gets a few of It's
samples for inspection and analysis
ftee but for the most part it bus
them from retailers like other GUS
toners, and pays cash. The bureau s
annual bill lfor all these groceries,
medicines, beverages and other ar
tieles intended for consumption runs
to about $4,000.
Variety of Supply List
No other section of the bureau
has quite so much variety in rs
supply list, but each laboratory de-.
mands a different line of materials.
Thus. for the leather laboratory
the supply office buys raw hides and
feathers. This laboratory studies
different kinds of leather used for
some specific purpose with the idea
OF developing a simpler or better
method of production or of finding
the comparative wearing values of
| different feathers. Government
chemists have studied harness and
! shoe leather. Their work in book
| binding leather has enabled them to
assist in preparing specifications
for bindings of rare volumes in
government Libraries.
Another commodity which the
supply section must be ready to
furnish is live stock. Guinea pigs,
frogs, rats and mice are required
in some of the bureaus expert
merits.
Chemicals. of course, 60 to all of
the laboratories, and the list OF
chemicals used takes in practically
ev erything of the kind that is sold,
Some can be obtained only from
foreign manufacturers, and occa-
s~ionally the commodity desired Is &c
rarely endorsed that a year or moro
elapsesf before the manufacture
thinks it worth while to make up a
supply. Once in a while an eXper.'
mem calls for a chemical substance
which can not be bought at all an
in that case the chemist army fouuC
that they were given about the
ssme amount of food in an entire
day as they were accustomed to de
your a single meal in civilian life
and that they were doing more hatt
r manual labor on the light diet and
f~aa1ino hatter
. Food saving campaigns in thu
y court1y and. downright shortas'
abroad reduced the civilian popula
lions to a similar curtailment o
their food consumption.
N,- Tdoas DopuIar
, The result has been that tn Isl
people have gone back to peace
S time life realizing that they ate MOI
than they needed before the war
l Some OF them nerhans most, return
ed to their pre-war gornlandizing
but to others the thought occurred
that ii they bought less food the.
would have more money to spend il
, other directions.
4 Official statistics show shat Their
has been a remarkable diminution 4
tn, amoun of food consumed.
This is particularly true of meat
the most expensive food, general
speaking. In 1922 the America.
people consumed only about Il
much food as they did in 1915. de
q spite the fact that their numbers ha
increased between five and ten mil
r lion.
This is another factor in the 81
uation which has Improved the dia