200 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



partment of Justice. The work with the Bureau of Standards to 

 establish " tolerances and reasonable variations " under the net- 

 weight amendment has progressed, that upon dairy products being 

 completed. Among the 1,036 cases of all kinds terminated in the 

 courts during the year were 198 alleging false and fraudulent label- 

 ing of medicines, in all of which save 5 the courts found for the Gov- 

 ernment. In 1 food case a sentence of imprisonment was imposed. 

 A number of indictments for conspiracy were found, upon evidence 

 obtained by the bureau, concerning the adulteration of olive oil, 

 domestic traffic in refuse eggs, traffic in refuse eggs exported to 

 England, and the sale of spurious synthetic drugs. 



There were collected 4,483 official samples. These showed an in- 

 creasing percentage of substantial violations, an index not of in- 

 creased disregard of the law, but, as pointed out in the report last 

 year, solely of greater discrimination in the selection of samples. 

 In addition an increased number of informal samples, about 4,000, 

 were taken, because these demand less labor and yet are adequate for 

 the routine checking of staple products to gauge the effect of the 

 bureau's action, and for general surveys preliminary to definite cam- 

 paigns. The number of official samples analyzed by the field force is 

 given in Table I. The use of the guaranty legend and serial number 

 ceased very largely during the year. 



Table I. — Report of branch laboratories for year ended June 30, 1916. 



