White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1927-07-29
S. BUREAU OE CHEMISTRY
SAYS APPLES MUST Be WASHED

much residue kept the danger of
/ complete embargo alive virtually from
! day to- day. No grower intereste,
read Mr.. Smiths communication, jus
sent to spray residue committees O
the Northwest. The more pertinen
parts follows.
"Since arriving from Europe, my at
tention has been attracted to the dis
tressed state of the minds of tn,
northwestern apple shippers and pro
ducers caused by variability in arsenic
determinations following demon
strations Of cleaning apparatus
as well as uncertainty in the effec
tiveness OF the equipment now on the
market. 1t is to be hoped that this
will not cause any recess in the prog
ress that is being made toward meet
ing the demands of our foreign mar
kets where the situation has developed
along the following lines.
AT the outset of last season we
began marketing our apples in Great
Britain with the understanding thai
by careful spraying and wiping of the
fruit we would provide apples thai
would meet the requirements of the
regulation of the Minister of Health
ard local medical officers. P. F. Love
European representative of the Inter.
national Apple Shippers association
and explained to every health Off
Ger and any other interested party
whom we Could get in touch with,
al Of the precautions incorporating
the tremendous effort and expense
familiar to all in the Northwest that
had been and were being taken to
provide apples which would be clean,
wholesome, and within the require
ments Of the law. All of our listeners
hope.
"But no sooner did the Craven
stems and Jonathans from the Pacif-
ic Northwest start arriving than an
alyses began Ito show excessive a.
mounts Of residue. AS soon as any
firm in Great Britain heard of these
Mr.. Love and l would be advised,
and we would run to the seat OF the
difficulty and tell them all that we
knew about the subject and end up
by saying that these apples must have
left the U. S: "A. before our cooper
ative inspection certificate arrange
nlents with the steamship companies
were Instituted (about October 4, 1926.)
Thus, trade conditions were not
seriously jecpardized until November,
when the medical officer for health
iii the county of Durham gave the
press a statement on their analysis
that was terrifying, and his county
council made. strong representation
to the minister CT health that the i'm
portation Of apples contaminated by
arsenic be prevented for the protec-
ton of the general pubic.
''Mr. Love and were Immediately
in a state Of intense anxiety and were
promptly before the officials of both
the ministry of health and the county
of Durham explaining, begging and
promising. Tolerance, reason, and
good will followed in both quarters.
And this was to be our role right
through the winter, with the same
reasonable attitude on the part OF
practically all officials. The last case
was poisoning, suspected to be from
baked apples, among members of the
staff Of the house Of parliament on
April 3, 1927.
On March II, 1927, the National
Farmers Union took action that would
set the wheels in motion to promote
legislation which would prohibit the
importation of consignments OF apples
into Britain unless SUCH con-
signments were accompanied by a
certificate of freedom from poisonous
deposits. Such legislation has not
been enacted as yet, though the
National Farmers Union is the
strongest agricultural body in the
kingdom and will have great influ
ence when the time comes.
cat the end of the season, great in
terest was aroused in various quar-
tiers of the ministry Of health, and
among health officials, in learning of
the research work done in cleaning
by hydrochloric acid washes. One
official humorously asked if we were
certain it WAS not 'eye-wash' we were
handing them. He was then con-
vinced that it was bona fide hydro
ch'otic acid.
"The intent of this letter is to
convey to you the true state of our
present position. am convinced
that our European markets for boxed
apples are at critical point as re-
gard spray residue. We made pro-
gress last year. If cur performance
in exporting apples this year bellies
the encouragement given British Off
cials that the 1927 crop will still be
better than the 1926, and makes our
discussions mere 'eye-wash,' then in
deed the outlook is dark.
"All European markets should be
considered with the same caution as
Great Britain. Germany is certainly
going to be as strict as Great Britain
and we can scarcely expect the same
consideration at the hands of German
officials as we have received at the
hands Of the British.
"We managed to scrape through
last year, sitting on volcano all OF
the time. Mr.. Love and I were al
ways conscious that apples were ar
riving in Great Britain every week
that had 1-25th, l-30th and 1-50th of
a grain OF arsenious oxide per pound,
and with us it was only question
as to who was going to find it, and
would we hear Of their finding 1t in
time to snuff the fuse that would
blow UP the 1926-lo27- export apple
deal sky high. We fully appreciated
that the growers needed the export
outlet very, very greatly last year.
"Now we feel that we got through
the year successfully with its being
a maximum amount Of help. Frankly,
I do not think we can do it again
unlces the apples are o. K.
my suggestions are that last