BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 261 



centrated sweeteners consisting of saccharin and sugar or some other 

 diluent. Tliese cases are awaiting judicial determination. During 

 December a case alleging misbranding of saccharin labeled as '' the 

 perfect sweetener," " healthful," and " absolutely harmless " was tried 

 in St. Louis. The jurj' disagreed. 



The cases against shipments of flavoring materials, mineral waters, 

 eggs, oils, gelatin, and tomato products involved charges similar to 

 those reported in former years. 



The wt)rk upon egg substitutes has largely reduced the number 

 in the channels of trade. None of those examined were found to be 

 real substitutes for eggs, either in food value or in their effect in 

 baking. 



The numerous cases against shipments of vegetables resulted 

 from the substitution in canning of the cheaper, Avholesome, nutri- 

 tious long cranberry bean, also known as Naga Uzura bean, for 

 the more expensive red kidney bean. These cases are still aAvaiting 

 judicial determination. 



Over 1,000 of all the shipments sampled during the year required 

 a consideration of some phase of that section of the law which de- 

 mands the declaration on the outside of the package of the true quan- 

 tity of food contained therein. Of these, 41 per cent went to the 

 Solicitor for prosecution ; 60 per cent of the prosecution cases bore a 

 charge of short weight and 40 per cent a charge of non-declaration of 

 the (|uantity of the contents. Eight}- per cent of the cases recom- 

 mended for prosecution bore additional charges for a violation of 

 some" otlier section of the law-. I-Cighty-five different products were 

 involved. One-tenth of all cases involved feeds and one-sixth fruits 

 and \egetables, the charges against these products being principally 

 for non-declaration. One-sixth of all samples were canned viscous 

 liquids, such as olive oil and molasses. Moreover, olive oil, bottled 

 goods, and butter were often short in weight or volume. 



The education of shippers in the requirements of the net-weight 

 amendment of the food and drugs act was carried on as in former 

 years. In Texas, for example, the shippers believed their packages 

 complied with the law because they had been inspected and passed 

 by the inspectors of the State Bureau of Markets. Circulars were 

 distributed, information published in the local trade papers, associa- 

 tion meetings attended, and cooperative relations established wdth 

 the State Bureau of ^Markets of Texas in order to give publicity 

 to the recjuirements of the Federal law. In consequence recent 

 shipments of fruits and vegetables from this section of the country 

 are marked with the quantity of the contents of the packages. The 

 bureau has enjoyed the fullest cooperation of State and city sealers 

 of weights and measures, who have tested scales, investigated com- 

 plaints, and })lanned and carried out special campaigns. 



A review of the work of the last five j^ears in the enforcement of 

 the net-contents-declaration provision of the food and drugs act 

 shoAvs a steadily increasing number of prosecutions, due not to an 

 increasing failure on the part of the shippers to com])ly with the law 

 but to increasing knowledge on the part of enforcing officials ob- 

 tained through the bureau's investigations of shrinkage and of 

 Processes of packaging. A report on some of these investigations, 

 •epartment Bulletin §07, Weight Variation of Package Foods, was 



