The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-07-01

On the FIRST day of May the British
House of Commons considered the
subject of foreign substitute for but.
ter The discussion was opened by
Sir Herbert Maxwell, who called at.
tention to the effects of the unre-
stricted importation from the United
States of various spurious compounds
resembling butter, which, he said,
exposed British dairy farmers to an
unfair competition, and consumers to
imposition. He did not, he said, in
troduce the subject to the house in
the interest of any particular class OF
the community, though it was one in
which his constituents were largely
concerned, and all he asked for was
that the regulations which were at
present applied to our home trade
and which provided for the inspec-
ton of milk IN transit between the
purveyor and the purchaser-should
be brought to bear on the foreign
producer. It had been long known
that the butter imported from Amer
ica was not altogether of a genuine
character.
THE TRADE BEGAN, He BELIEVED,
about the time of the American civil
war, and since then adulteration has
gone on to considerable extent, and
the manufacture of the spurious arti-
Gle was conducted with considerable
ingenuity and skill. Eventually, at
the instance of the American farmers
themselves, the American legislature
passed a law rendering the export
illegal except under certain condi-
tions. That law had, however, been
evaded. The brands which it was
said must be placed on casks of oleo-
margarine were In many instances
removed from the casks, and the
names of well-known firms of butter
makers were substituted in their
stead. The penalty to which persons
exporting oleomargarine without u.s.
ing the requisite brands were liable
was SO slight that many thought it
worth while to run the risk of incur
ring it.
IT WAS DIFFICULT EoR CHEMIST,
or expert, to detect the presence of
oleomargarine in butter. A gentle
man engaged in the butter trade in
Glasgow had told him that he had
frequently inspected hundreds of
casks of American butter, and that
on an average forty out of every hun
dred were not filled Sith genuine
butter. There was In this country
an enormous consumption of oleo-
margarine. From America, In 1879,
294 900 pounds were exported for
Glasgow; but in nine months of the
year 1880 nearly / SOC, 900 pounds
We're imported into that town. He
wanted to know what became of this
stuff when it reached this country.
Was 1t sold IS butterine or oleomar-
garine, or was it sold as o legitimate
and nutritiye article of food? 1t was
a singular fact that these compounds
were never advertised. This absence
of Observation-Disclosures, he thought,
that the compounds were not sold
under distinctive names, but as gem
uine butter. Their sale was encour-
aged by the conditions of the carry
ing traffic of this country Oleomar-
garine could be brought from New
York to London at the same cost as
that which was necessary for the car
riage of genuine butter from Liver
pool to London. It might be said
that If we Were to insist upon oleo-
margarine and butterine being sold
under their proper names nobody
would buy them. Well, he was of
opinion that the house need not show
any tenderness for spurious and base
articles which were sold under false
names.
HE THOUGHT THE IMPORTATION
of these spurious kinds of butter
ought to be prohibited, at least un-
less they bore their proper names.
They came not only from the United
States, but also from France and
other countries. The English farmer
would defy competition If he had a
fair field; but he did not think they
ought to be exposed to competition
OF that character. The honorable
member concluded bymoying: "That
it is desirable that such steps shall be
taken by the Legislature as will insure
as far as possible that such of these
compounds as are harmless shall
only be sold under distinctive names,
and that the importation and sale of
those which are hurtful or dangerous
to health be prohibited altogether. !"
OF THE SAME OPINION.
Mr. A. Moore seconded the mo-
ton. The question brought before
the house by his friend was one of
great Importance. From three dis
tricts alone in Ireland 500 900 casks
OF butter We're annually imported into
this country, at an average price of
E3 los. per cask. The best butter
always commanded market but
the competition of spurious COM
pounds operated hardly on tho poor
Irish farmer who could not produce
the best kind of butter. Moreover,
these compounds were sold at a
price far above their value. He had
himself bought them at Is. pound.
Thus, a great hardship was inflicted
on the working man. There was no
doubt, toe, that the importation of
these substances was largely on the
increase. In 1859 there were inn
ported from the United States 1 ,00O,-
900 pounds of butter. In 1879 38,-
000, 900 pounds were imported of
spurious or genuine butter. It could
not be believed that the Importation
OF genuine buttes mad increased thir-
tY-eight fold III that short period. He
e 4