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[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 273. 



various interests represented in this and' 

 the previous Congresses. The necessity for 

 such legislation is apparent to everj' one. 

 State laws are effective only when supple- 

 mented by national legislation. As long as 

 adulterated foods are permitted to enter one 

 State from another it is not possible for the 

 State authorities to reach the real offender. 

 The State courts can only punish the citizens 

 of their own State, whereas the real culprit 

 may reside across the State border in another 

 jurisdiction. One of the best provisions of 

 this measure, which has been endorsed by 

 this Pure Food Congress, is that the original 

 manufacturer or producer of the goods can 

 be punished, while the innocent retailer or 

 dealer may escape, by tracing the articles to 

 their original source, and thus furnish evi- 

 dence to convict the primary offender. 



Another excellent provision of the pro- 

 posed law, as endorsed b}^ the Congress, is 

 the inspection of food products intended 

 for export to foreign countries. It is well 

 known that many of our food products 

 have been unjustly condemned in foreign 

 countries, on alleged sanitary grounds or on 

 alleged imperfections. Inasmuch as these 

 food products have received no inspection 

 before leaving the country it is quite diffi- 

 cult for our citizens to establish the char- 

 acter and purity of their exported food 

 products. With rigid inspection by Gov- 

 ernment officials, before export, it would 

 be a comparatively easy matter to maintain 

 the rights of our food products in foreign 

 countries. By reason of the increased scope 

 and magnitude of the work of the Division 

 of Chemistry and in harmony with the 

 recommendations contained in the last an- 

 nual report of the Secretary of Agriculture, 

 to the President of the United States, the 

 proposed legislation endorsed by the Pure 

 Food Congress raises the Division of Chem- 

 istry to the dignity of a bureau. 



Another excellent feature of the proposed 

 measure is the absence of annoying, restric- 



tive or prohibitive clauses. The pure food 

 bill, as recommended by the Congress, 

 does not inflict upon any honest dealer any 

 rules or regulations, which will interfere in 

 any way with his trade or make it difficult 

 for him to conduct his business. 



If the question of wholesomeness arises 

 a provision is made for its study in a thor- 

 oughly impartial and effective manner. 

 The bill provides for a board to be ap- 

 pointed by the President of the United 

 States and the Secretary of Agriculture 

 conjointly, consisting of five physicians, 

 three of whom are to represent the Army, 

 Navy and Marine Hospital Service, to be 

 appointed by the President ; a board of 

 five experts, who are eminent in physio- 

 logical chemistry and hygiene, to be ap- 

 pointed by the Secretary^ of Agriculture ; 

 and these together with the Chairman of 

 the Committee on Pure Food Standards 

 of the Association of Official Agricultural 

 Chemists and the Chief Chemist of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture of the United 

 States, will form a board of twelve persons to 

 whom all matters relating to wholesomeness 

 of food products, or of materials added there- 

 to, will be referred. It is evident that such 

 an unbiased body will be able to reach con- 

 clusions, after proper investigations, which 

 will merit the confidence of the country. 



The administration of the law is confided 

 to the Secretary of Agriculture, who is au- 

 thorized to make all needful rules and regu- 

 lations for carrj'ing out the provisions of the 

 act, and in doing this is to make use of the 

 chemists and appliances of the Division of 

 Chemistry of the Department of Agriculture. 

 This method of administration has been ap- 

 proved of at all of the sessions of the Food 

 Congress as being the wisest, most efficient 

 and the most economical method of securing 

 the purposes in view. The Secretary, at his 

 discretion, can make use of the chemists 

 and appliances of the various States engaged 

 in food inspection, in order to render the 



