46 ANNUAL REPORT. OF THB Off. Doc. 



REPORT OF NATIONAL PURE FOOD CONVENTION. 



The trade will wait expectantly for the appearance of the pub- 

 lished report of the proceedings of the National Association of 

 State Dairy and Food Commissioners held at the Louisiana Pur- 

 chase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., in Sopten\ber, 1904. This Common- 

 wealth was represented by the Secretary of Agriculture, the Dairy 

 and Food Commissioner and A. II. Woodward, one of the attorneys 

 for the Commissioner, all of whom took an active part in the several 

 sessions of the convention. Among the business brought to the atten- 

 tion of the meeting b}' them was the consideration of two atlidavits 

 from reputable business firms, alleging that for the consideration of 

 inserting certain advertising matter at high rales into the annual 

 report or minutes of the proceedings of similar conventions, they 

 either directly or indirectly, were misled into the belief that certain 

 State officials would not disturb, or interfere with them or their 

 trade, and that, practically, they should be exempt from prosecutions 

 by pure food officials in the States indicated or referred to. 



As a result of such disclosures and because the gross sum of 

 about 113,200 is said to have been collected from advertisers for the 

 printing of the minutes of 1903, it was decided that the proceedings 

 of the convention of 1904 should be published in pamphlet form, with- 

 out the addition of any advertising matter, and that the expenses 

 of the printing of the pamphlet should be borne jointly by the 

 various public officials in attendance at the meeting. The pro rata 

 amount required was estimated to be a small sum, while the criti- 

 cism and complaints which were freely and publicly made of the old 

 I^lan would, by these means, be entirely eliminated. It is but fair 

 to add that the association did not realize any material part of the 

 large amount paid for advertising. The movement inaugurated by 

 the Peneisylvania delegates is sustained by the trade almost as a 

 unit, and unwilling advertisers are no longer solicited and pressed 

 for advertisements, which were only too often conceded under erro- 

 neous or misleading impressions, or direct promises which could not 

 be redeemed. 



DRUGS AND CHEMICALS BELOW STANDARD. 



As the investigation of food adulteration progresses, the too com- 

 mon use of substitutes and the almost general use of food preserva- 

 tives have become apparent as never before in the history of the 

 Dairy and Food Bureau. The investigations have included examina- 

 tions into the adulteration and misrepresentation through false or 

 deceptive labeling of foods, beverages, condiments, etc. This work 

 has also very properly been extended to drugs, and the results 

 reported in many cases indicate the need for legislation regulating 

 the manufacture and sale of drugs and chemicals. Any drug, medi- 

 cine or chemical preparation intended for internal use should meet 

 the requirements of standards established by the best medical and 

 chemical authorities, and in this way the many dangers that now 

 surround the use of well-known drugs could at least be reduced to 

 a minimum. Although not an alarmist, the conditions that now 

 prevail cannot be passed by without notice. These conditions should 

 not onlv attract the attention of the Dairv and Food Commissioners, 



