OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR. 



483 



THE FOOD AND DRUGS ACT. 



[34 Stat., 7G8.] 



Fifteen himdrecl and eighty-eight cases were transmitted to the De- 

 partment of Justice, in 413 of which criminal proceedings and in 

 1,175 of which seizures were recommended. The 413 criminal cases 

 embraced 860 alleged violations of the food and drugs act. 



At the close of the fiscal j^ear 1918, 308 cases were pending, of 

 which 188 were criminal prosecutions and 210 were seizures. 



Two hundred and fifty-four cases pending at the close of the fiscal 

 year 1918 and 765 reported during the fiscal year 1919, in all 1,019, 

 were terminated in 1919. Of those terminated, 271 were criminal and 

 748 were civil. 



In 244 of the 271 criminal cases fines were imposed. Most of these 

 cases were disposed of by pleas of guilty or nolo contendere. There 

 were trials in only 2 resulting in convictions and 1 of these is now 

 pending on appeal ; in G collateral deposited by defendants was for- 

 feited by reason of their nonappearance in court. In 1 the judgment 

 of conviction in the lower court was reversed by the Circuit Court of 

 Appeals, in 3 there were acquittals, 22 Avere nol-prossed or the in- 

 formation dismissed, and 1 was withdrawn from prosecution. 



In the criminal cases in which convictions were obtained the fines 

 were as follows: 



Fines assessed under food (uul druus act in cases reiiortcd hi/ this depart- 

 nient to the Deitartment of Justice. 



In addition to the fines imposed, costs were generally assessed. 



Of the 748 civil cases terminated during the year, decrees of con- 

 demnation and forfeiture or informal orders for the disposition of 

 the property were entered in 667, of which 5 were decided favor- 

 ably to the Government after contest, in 30 the libels were dis- 

 missed, in 44 the packages were broken or disposed of before seizure 

 could be made, and in 7 verdicts were returned for the claimant after 

 trial to the court and a jury. In the 667 cases, in which decrees of 

 condemnation and forfeiture were entered, the goods were destroj^ed 

 in 340, released on bond or otherwise in 266, and sold in 61. In 

 many of the cases in which the product was ordered released or sold, 



