BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 361 



involved, and expert testimony is furnished at hearings and in 

 court cases. The sale of certain fraudulent remedies can be checked 

 more effectively in some instances under laws administered by the 

 Post Office Department than by action under the food and drugs act. 



Several departments of the Government receive expert assistance 

 in preparing specifications for the purchase of foods, drugs^ 

 chemicals, leathers, leather goods, paper, waterproofing material;? 

 and fabrics that have been waterproofed, rosin, turpentine, and the 

 like, since specialists working on these commodities are available 

 in the Bureau of Chemistry. Tests and analyses are made of 

 samples of shipments of these commodities, which have been de- 

 livered on contract, in order to determine whether or not they 

 comply with the specifications under which they were purchased. 

 Practically all laboratories in the Bureau of Chemistry do testing 

 and analytical work for other departments of the Government. 

 The work of testing foods and drugs for the Army and the Navy 

 is especially voluminous. 



Paper investigations have been made to assist the Federal 

 Specifications Board in the preparation of specifications, on the 

 improvement of methods of examination and on the study of fruit 

 and vegetable wrapping paper, and to assist the Joint Committee 

 on Printing of Congress and other departments in the examination 

 and preparation of specifications for papers. Three publications 

 on these subjects have been prepared. 



The specialists of the Bureau of Chemistry are constantly called 

 upon by departments and independent establishments of the Govern- 

 ment for advice regarding problems involving a knowledge of the 

 science of chemistry. Because of the comparatively large number of 

 chemists in the organization and the wide range of subjects covered 

 by the work of the bureau, it is possible to furnish information and 

 advice on a great variety of problems. This service makes it un- 

 necessary for chemical laboratories to be maintained in a number of 

 departments which have considerable chemical work to be done. The 

 cost of maintaining small individual laboratories in several depart- 

 ments would be nmch greater in the aggregate to the Government 

 than the cost of having the work done in the Bureau of Chemistry 

 as an incident to its other chemical work. 



ENFORCEMENT OF REGULATORY LAWS. 



TEA INSPECTION ACT. 



During the last fiscal year, 96,267,920 pounds of tea was examined 

 for quality and purity at the ports of entry. Of this quantity 

 277,104 pounds, or 0.29 per cent, was rejected. This represents the 

 smallest percentage of rejections in the last 12 years. Of the total 

 quantity rejected, only 2,440 pounds was rejected for purity and this 

 occurred in the case of a China green tea. All the other rejections 

 were for quality. 



The most noticeable increase in quantity imported was of Japa- 

 nese green teas, of which more than 25,000,000 pounds was im- 

 ported, as compared with about 17,000,000 pounds imported during 

 1922. The importation of China black teas was nearly twice that of 

 the previous year, but there was a great decrease in the importation 

 of China green teas. Of the total quantity offered for entry during 



