16 FOOD LAWS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 



Secretary of Agriculture as to whether they should be used for the 

 purpose indicated. 



COMMISSION REPORT ON WHISKY AND OTHER POTABLE SPIRITS. 



In the United Kingdom the subject of whisky and other potable 

 spirits has also been submitted to a commission, and only recently 

 (1909) it reported the results of its investigation under the title of 

 "The final report of the Royal commission on whisky and other 

 potable spirits." The Royal commission definition of "What is 

 whisky" is fundamentally the same as that of President Taft, namely, 

 that, broadly speaking, all distillates from grain, if of potable strength, 

 are "whisky." 



There is an evident tendency to submit the more important ques- 

 tions arising in the administration of the sale of food and drugs acts 

 to a commission for the taking of testimony and for the preparation 

 of the reports to be used for the guidance of those who must administer 

 these laws. 1 The report of the Royal commission on whisky and other 

 potable spirits is, however, the second report on this subject. The 

 first was issued about 20 years ago, and is entitled "Report from the 

 Select Committee on British and Foreign Spirits" (1890-91). 



CONTROL OF IMPORTS BY THE COMMISSIONERS OF CUSTOMS. 



SCOPE OF WORK COMPARED WITH THAT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 



BOARD. 



It has been pointed out that the commissioners of customs operate 

 under the sale of food and drugs act at the ports of entry. This duty 

 was laid upon them in the act of 1899. As an administrative detail 

 of this work of the commissioners of customs it is to be noted that it 

 is the commissioners themselves who must enforce the provisions 

 and not the local authorities as in the case of the general provisions 

 of this act. As far as their authority extends it is broad enough to 

 control all types of foods offered for import, although particular 

 provisions are made covering dairy products or substitutes for dairy 

 products, as margarine, adulterated butter, condensed milk, etc. 

 His Majesty may, by order in council, direct this section (11) of the 

 sale of food and drugs act, 1899, to apply to "any adulterated or 

 impoverished article of food," but a study of the work of the com- 

 missioners shows that its duties are more closely confined to the 



specific provisions of this section applying to dairy products and 







1 In the address of the president of the Society of Public Analysts and of other Analytical Chemists, pub- 

 lished in the February number of the Analyst, 1911, reference is made to a conference organized by the 

 County Councils' Association which was held in London in March, 1910. At this conference it was recom- 

 mended that "an expert board of reference should be constituted to decide controversial questions of 

 chemistry, hygiene, or physiology." This conference also passed a resolution with regard to the ferti- 

 lizers and feeding stuffs acts that "it was a matter of urgency that the question of 'standards' under the 

 fertilizers and feeding stuffs acts should be dealt with by an expert board of reference." 



