OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR. 



701 



THE FOOD AND DRUGS ACT (34 Stat. 768). 



"Eight hundred and eighty-five cases were transmitted to the 

 Department of Justice, 190 for criminal prosecutions and 695 for 

 secures. The 190 criminal cases embraced 443 alleged violations 

 of the food and drugs act. 



Four hundred and forty-eight civil cases pending at the close of 

 the fiscal year 1921 and 356 reported during the fiscal year 1922, in 

 all 804 civil cases, were terminated in 1922. One hundred and eleven 

 criminal cases pending at the close of the fiscal year 1921, and 126 

 reported during the past year, in all 237 criminal cases were termi- 

 nated in 1922. The total number of cases terminated during the 

 year both civil and criminal were 1,041. 



In 192 of the 237 criminal cases terminated during the year, fines 

 were imposed or collateral forfeited. In 186 of these cases, pleas 

 of guilty, nolo contendere, etc., were entered. In 4 of them fines 

 were imposed after trial and conviction and in 2 collateral that 

 had been deposited by defendants was forfeited by reason of their 

 nonappearance in com't. In 3 the defendants were found not 

 guilty after trial, and 42 cases were nolle prossed or the information 

 dismissed. 



Fines irnposed in-mminal cases {exclusive of costs ivhich were generally assessed). 



Of the 787 civil cases terminated during the 3^ear, decrees of con- 

 demnation and forfeiture or informal orders for the disposition of the 

 property were entered in 737, in 46 the libels were either dismissed or 

 the produQt disposed of before actual seizure could be consummated, 

 in 2 verdicts were returned for the claimant after trial, and in 2 the 

 product was released on bond without the entry of a decree. Five 

 of the foregoing cases were contested, 3 resulting in verdicts for the 

 Government and 2 for the claimants. 



At the close of the year 825 cases were pending, of which 232 were 

 criminal prosecutions and 593 were seizures. 



In addition to the cases reported by this department to the Depart- 

 ment of Justice, the food and drugs officials of the various States and 

 the District of Columbia, collaborating with the department in the 

 enforcement of the act, are shown by the records of this office to 

 have reported 34 cases to the United States attorneys, 24 of which 

 were terminated during the year. Of these, 25 were criminal cases 

 and 9 were seizures. In 22 of the criminal cases terminated there 



