Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1906 — A BILL [ARTICLE]

A BILL

TO REQUIRE MANUFACTURERS AND SHIPPERS OF FOODS FOR INTERSTATE SHIPMENT TO LASEL SAID FOODS AND PRINT THE INGREDIENTS CONTAINED IN SUCH FOODS ON EACH PACKAGE THEREOF. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That every person, firm or corporation engaged in the manufacture, preparation or campoundipg of food for human consumption, shall print in plain view on each package thereof made by or for them shipped from any State or Territory, or the District of Columbia, a complete and accurate statement of all the Ingredients thereof, defined by words in common use to describe said ingredients, together with the announcement that said statement is made by the authority of, and guaranteed to be accurate by, the makers of sueh food, and the name and complete address of the makers shall be affixed thereto; all printed in plain type of a size not less than that known as eight point, and In the English Sec. 2, That the covering of each and every package of manufactured, prepared or compounded foods shipped from any State,' Territory or the District of Columbia, when the food in said package shall have been taken from a covering supplied by or for the makers and re-covered by or for the sellers, shall bear upon its face or within its enclosure an accurate copy of the statement of Ingredients and name of the makers which appeared upon the package or covering of said food as supplied by or for the makers thereof, printed in like manner as the statement of the makers was printed, and such statement shall also bear the name and address of the person, firm or corporation that re-covered such food. Sec. 3, That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to purposely, wilfully and maliciously remove, alter, obliterate or destroj’ stich statement of ingredients appearing on packages of food, as provided in the preceding sections, and any person or persons who shall violate this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or Imprisoned not less than one month nor more than six months, or both, in the discretion of the court. Sec. -1, That the Bureau of Chemistry of the Department of Agriculture •hall procure, or cause to be procured from retail, dealers, and analyzc*M>r cause to be analyzed or examined, chemically, microscopically, or* otherwise, samples of all manufactured, prepared or compounded foods offered for sale in original, unSVoken packages In the District of Columbia, in any Territory, or in any State other than that in which they shall have been resi>eetlvely manufactured or otherwise produced, or from a foreign country, or intended for export to a foreign country. The Secretary of Agriculture shall make necessary rules and regulations for carrying out the provisions of this Act, and is hereby authorized to employ such chemists, inspectors, clerks, laborers, and other employes, as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act and to make such publication of the results of the examinations and analysis as he may deem proper. And any manufacturer, producer or dealer who shall refuse to supply, upon application and tender and £ull payment of the selling price samples of such articles of food to any person djily authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture to receive the same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, .and upon conviction shall be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars, or Imprisoned not exceeding one hundred days, or both. Sec. 5, That any person, firm or corporation who shall violate sections one and two of this Act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not exceeding two hundred dollars for the first offense nnd for each subsequent offense not exceeding three hundred dollars or be imprisoned not exceeding one year, or both, In the discretion of the court. Sec. (J, That any person, firm, or corporation, who shall wilfully, purposely or maliciously change or add to the ingredients of any food, make fates charges, or incorrect analysis, with the purpose of subjecting the makers of such foods to fine or Imprisonment under this Act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not exceeding one thousand dollars nor less than three hundred dollars, or imprisoned for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or both. Sec. 7/That It shall be the duty of every district attorney to whom the Secretary of Agriculture shall report any violation of this Act to causS proceedings to be commenced and prosecuted without delay for the fines and penalties in such case provided. ' ’ ♦ ~ Sec. 8. That this Act shall not be construed to Interfere with commerce wholly InternaTln any State, nor with the exercise of their police powers by the several States. Sec. 0, That all acts or parts of acts Inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed. Sec. 10, That this Act shall be In force and effect from and after tha first day of October, nineteen hundred and ala. The undersigned respectfully requests the Representatives from bls district and Senators from bls state to support this measure. Signed City State .