go ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



a large mailing list. The co-operation of organizations of producers 

 and distributors is encouraged. These methods are supplemented 

 by resorting to prosecution of all violators of the laws, as the 

 laws themselves clearly indicate to be the legislative intent. Since 

 punishment is not, however, the principal aim, prosecutions are not 

 multiplied against individual violators of the law, unless they, by 

 continuing their offence, make it necessary repeatedly to hale tliem 

 before the Courts. Neither is it tlie object of the Bureau to collect 

 revenues. We do not regard the fines imposed primarily as a source 

 of public revenues, but hold that they should be regarded as a salu- 

 taiy means of securing obedience to the law. If the promise and 

 conduct of the violator gives warrant for belief that the abuse shall 

 stop, nominal fines will serve. The Commissioner does, however, 

 hold that wiiere the promises and conduct do not give evidence of an 

 attitude of obedience to the law, that merely nominal fines, upon con- 

 viction, may weaken instead of strengthen the executive in his en- 

 deavor to secure the objects of these laws. 



ORGANIZATION 



While other office publications set forth fully the staff organiza- 

 tion and personnel of the Bureau, it is believed that some comment 

 upon the organization of the service may be valuable in this connec- 

 tion. The Commissioner is represented in the various parts of the 

 State by a corps of carefully selected special agents, to each of whom 

 is usually committed the performance of certain duties for a specified 

 district; though, Avhere necessary for special purposes, agents are 

 transferred for special service to districts other than that to which 

 they are assigned for regular seiwice. Since the cliaracter of duties 

 called for by the several acts are similar in nature, it does not seem 

 necessary to allot more limited and highly specialized duties to any 

 of these agents, with the sole exception that a single agent is em- 

 ployed to make the required examinations of the books of cold stor- 

 age warehouses. The district agents have the duties of visiting the 

 stores and other food-selling and food-making establishments within 

 their districts, of securing by purchase samples of foods on sale, of 

 sending them, under sealed cover, to the proper technical experts for 

 examinations, and, in cases where the Commissioner so directs, of 

 acting for him either as the public prosecutor in cases where there 

 is evidence of violation of the law. or in cases where special com- 

 plaints ^^f citizens call for certain examinations. 



TECHNICAL EXPERTS 



The Commissioner is dependent upon technical experts for the 



discovery of such conditions in the food samples purchased as serve 



,to indicate that they have been sold in violation of the law. Be- 



