206 ANNUAL EEPOETS OF THE DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTTJEE. 



(e) of Regulation 29, which relates to marking the quantity of the 

 contents of food in package form; and, upon the recommendation of 

 the Joint Committee on Definitions and Standards, Food Inspection 

 Decision 169, " Edible Vegetable Fats and Oils," and Food Inspec- 

 tion Decision 170, " Sweetened Condensed Milk, Condensed Skimmed 

 Milk, Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk, Dried Milk, Dried 

 Skimmed Milk, and Malted Milk." 



In the interest of more efficient administration of regulatory mat- 

 ters the headquarters of the Eastern Food and Drug Inspection Dis- 

 trict were transferred from Washington to the United States Ap- 

 praiser's Stores in New York City, 



One peddler of spurious acetyl salicylic acid was convicted under 

 the Food and Drugs Act. Certain other distributors of spurious 

 neosalvarsan and acetyl salicylic acid were sentenced to prison 

 through joint action of State and municipal officials, the Post Office, 

 and the United States Departments of Justice and Agriculture. In 

 one case a prison sentence was imposed after conviction for con- 

 spiracy in connection with adulteration of olive oil. 



Special attention was given to shipments of polluted or spoiled 

 food. A number of shipments of decomposed canned goods returned 

 to packers or jobbers for the adjustment of claims were seized, evi- 

 dence having been secured that the consignees had taken steps to 

 dispose of the seized goods or previous similar consignments for 

 food purposes. This practice of returning goods for the adjust- 

 ment of claims for spoilage has led to certain abuses, which have been 

 taken up with the industry in the hope that through cooperative 

 action conditions may be controlled more effectively than in the past. 

 Steps were taken to prevent the shipment of decomposed sardines, 

 commonly described as "belly-blown." Inspection was made of the 

 canning of California sardines, of tuna, and of abalone. Of the Cali- 

 fornia fava-bean crop it was necessary this year to seize only a few 

 cars of excessively wormy beans. The canning of decomposed navy 

 beans has been suppressed very largely. The interstate shipment 

 of oysters from polluted waters has practically ceased, and the prac- 

 tice of adulterating oysters and scallops with water has been checked 

 in the main. Cooperation with State and municipal officials to con- 

 trol the shipment of bad eggs has been continued, and it is reported 

 that the quality of the eggs reaching the large cities is much im- 

 proved. 



Cooperation to improve the milk supply has also continued, espe- 

 cially at St. Louis and in New England. The cooperation with local 

 authorities begim last year in Texas to prevent the contamination 

 of springs from which water is shipped in interstate commerce was 

 this year extended to Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Missouri, with satis- 

 factory results. A case in which the fairness of the standard of 

 purity for mineral water proposed by the Bureau was attacked was 

 decided favorably to the Government. Important issues of fact in- 

 volving the methods of estimating decomposition of tomato products 

 were determined in court. 



Action was taken against shipments of worthless frozen oranges 

 and of colored immature oranges and grapefruit, of evaporated 

 apples and canned tomatoes adulterated with water, of mixtures of 



