16072. Adulteration and misbranding' of butter. U. S. v. Leo W. Williams and Edmund M. Root (Hardwiclc Creamery). Pleas of guilty. Fine, $10. (F. & D. No. 19335. I. S. Nos. 16847-v, 16770-v.) On April 7, 1925, the United States attorney for the District of Vermont, acting upon a report by the Secretary of Agriculture, filed in the District Court of the United States for said district an information against Leo W. Williams and Edmund M. Root, copartners, trading as the Hardwick Creamery, Hax*d- wick, Vt., alleging shipment by said defendants, in violation of the food and drugs act as amended, on or about July 9, 1924, from the State of Vermont into the State of Massachusetts, of quantities of butter which was adulterated and misbranded. A portion of the article was labeled in part: (Package) "Fancy Creamery Butter Pure Cream * * *. This Package Contains Eight Ounces of Butter." The remainder of the said article was labeled in part: (Crate) " H 60 Lbs. Net," (package) " 5 Lbs. Net.," and was invoiced as butter. It was alleged in the information that the article was adulterated in that a product deficient in milk fat had been substituted for butter, which the article purported to be. Adulteration was alleged for the further reason that a product which contained less than 80 per cent by weight of milk fat had been sub- stituted for butter, a product which should contain not less than 80 per cent by weight of milk fat, as prescribed by the act of March 4, 1923, which the said article purported to be. Misbranding was alleged with respect to a portion of the article for the reason that the statements " Creamery Butter Pure Cream " and " This Package Con- tains Eight Ounces of Butter," borne on the label, were false and misleading in that the said statements represented that the article consisted wholly of creamery butter and that each of the packages contained 8 ounces thereof, and for the further reason that it was labeled as aforesaid so as to deceive and mislead, the purchaser into the belief that it consisted wholly of creamery butter, and that each of said packages contained 8 ounces thereof, whereas it did not consist wholly of creamery butter but did consist of a product deficient in milk fat, and each of said packages did not contain 8 ounces of the article, but did contain a less amount. Misbranding was alleged with respect to the said portion for the further reason that the statement, to wit, " Butter," borne on the label, was false and misleading in that it represented that the 53014-29 2 article was butter, to wit, a product which should contain not less than SO per cent by weight of milk fat, as prescribed by law, whereas it did not contain SO per cent by weight of milk fat but did contain a less amount. Misbranding was aliened with respect to the remainder of the article for the reason that it was a product deficient in milk fat, prepared in imitation of butter, and was offered for sale and sold under the distinctive name of another article, to wit, butter. Misbranding was alleged for the further reason that the statement, to wit, " 00 Lbs. Net," borne on the crates containing the article, and the statement, to wit, " 0 Lbs. Net," borne on the packages, were false and mislead- ing in that they represented that each of the said crates contained 00 pounds of butter, and that each of said packages contained 5 pounds thereof, and for the further reason that it was labeled as aforesaid so as to deceive and mislead the purchaser into the belief that each of said crates contained 00 pounds net of butter, and that each of said packages contained 5 pounds net thereof, whereas each of said crates did not contain GO pounds net of butter but did contain a less amount, and each of said packages did not contain 5 pounds of butter but did contain a less amount. Misbranding was alleged for the further reason that the article was food in package form and the quantity of the con- tents was not plainly and conspicuously marked on the outside of the package. On August 11, 1928, the defendants entered pleas of guilty to the information, and the court imposed a fine of $10. ARTHUR M. HYDE, Secretary of Agriculture.