Importers of teas protested against the application of the Read Color Test on the ground that it was extra legal. The Treasury Department won the case in the United States District Court. The case was appealed to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals which reversed the decision of the lower court. The Treasury Department then took the case to the Supreme Court. This court issued its decree on April 22, 1918, affirming the decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals. In substance, the Supreme Court ruled that the Treasury Department could not reject tea offered for import into the United States on the ground of artificial color alone, unless it could be shown that the artificial color is harmful. The court thus renewed its decision in the bleached flour case. Mr. George F. Mitchell, Supervising Tea Examiner of the Treasury Department, has given me the following opinion respecting the effect of the Court decision on the importation of colored teas:

My personal opinion is that the Read Test as amended will continue to keep all colored teas out of the United States, and at the same time meet the decision of the Supreme Court; but in case our regulations fail to do this, I plan in cooperation with the tea trade, who are unanimously against colored teas, to ask Congress to change the law so that we might reject teas for artificial coloring matter alone.