OFFICIAL INSPE:CTI0NS. IQ 



spring water and that the preparation of their goods is carried 

 on with extreme care. Other manufacturers use local supplies 

 of various kinds, and it is feared that some of these may not be 

 properly safeguarded from possible pollution. It does not nec- 

 essarily follow that because spring water is used the finished 

 product is pure. Springs themselves may be contaminated in 

 various ways. They may be situated so that they receive sur- 

 face drainage, or they may receive contamination from ignor- 

 ant or careless people who use them as a source of supply. 

 And of course the purest water may be handled carelessly and 

 the finished product rendered unfit for drinking. 



It has been considered by some that the process by which the 

 goods are charged with carbonic acid gas is a means of steriliz- 

 ation. Recent experiments in one of the western states do not 

 bear out this contention. And this fact should be borne care- 

 fully in mind that whatever contamination is present in the 

 water used will enter into the finished product for consumption. 

 If tap water is used from the town supply and there is sus- 

 picion that it is polluted in any way its use should be discon- 

 tinued. A water that may be used with comparative safety for 

 household purposes may be unsafe for soda water. Drinking 

 water may easily be boiled and thus rendered harmless, but 

 such measures cannot be taken with soda waters without de- 

 stroying their palatability. 



Sanitation. 



As was stated in Official Inspections 35, in a few of the bot- 

 tling establishments visited during the last season no attempt 

 at screening was found and during the summer months the 

 situation with regard to the presence of flies was very bad. In 

 some of the places the floors were dirty and the places were 

 very much cluttered with bottles, cases and barrels, and in one 

 case in particular the toilet facilities were not properly ar- 

 ranged. 



It is the hope of the executive of the Maine Food Law and 

 should be the ambition of each bottler to have the bottled sodas 

 of Maine as pure as it is possible to make them, and to have 

 them put up under perfectly sanitary conditions. Those of the 

 bottlers who are also interested in this subject are invited to 

 correspond with the Director with regard to any feature of the 

 business which in his mind is in need of improvement. 



