64 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Rl^PORT OF THK DAIRY AND FOOD COMMIS- 

 SIONER. 



Harrisburg, Pa., December 31^ 1903. 

 Hon. N. B. Critchfield, Secretary of Agriculture: 



Dear Sir: I have the honor to present for your consideration the 

 following report of the operations of this Division of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, since my appointment to the position of Dairy 

 and .Food Commissioner by his excellency, Governor Samuel W. 

 Pennypacker. 



Having assumed charge of official duties on April 1, 1903, the 

 I'cport will cover a period of the nine months ending December 31, 

 1903. 



WORK OF THE DIVISION. 



The work accomplished and the results attained in the enforce- 

 ment of the several acts of Assembly placed under my administra- 

 iio'n are unprecedented, both in the number of prosecutions insti- 

 tuted and the fines and license fees collected and paid into the State 

 Treasury. These figures are respectfully submitted for the informa- 

 tion of all concerned. The detailed report which follows shows 

 that the total amount paid into the State Treasury, including fines, 

 costs of analyses, etc., aggregate |93,458.71. An examination of 

 the legal records show that about 1,800 prosecutions were ordered 

 since April 1, and the number of suits instituted and the amount of 

 fines collected proves conclusively that the pure food laws are being 

 more rigidly and successfully enforced in Pennsylvania than in any 

 other state of the Union. 



It is also safe to assert that the information imparted to those 

 who are engaged in the manufacture and sale of food products t\111 

 prove a lasting benefit to the trade as well as to the public, gener- 

 ally, resulting in a deserved regard for the pure food laws by the 

 former and ability on the part of the latter to secure better and 

 purer food products than ever before without any increase in cost. 

 Ov/ing to the more general enforcement of the dairy and food laws 

 of Pennsylvania, the danger to health through the use of harmful 

 adulterants and poisonous drugs as preservatives, is now receiving 



