Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-03
aonrnaI suO Courier.
SINGLE COPIES TWO CENTS.
Monday. March 8. 1884.
BOGUS BUTTER,

BOGUS
 committee of the New York senate is in- vestigating the manufacture and sale of but terine and oleomargarine, and some of the ] testimony which it has evoked is interesting. Benjamin F. Van Volkenburgh, commis- sion merchant in New York city, testified that the quantitie of oleomargarine, butterine and other substitutes for butter used in New York city are increasing. In 1882 between one
 hundred and fifty thousand and two hundred
 thousand packages were manufactured or
 sent there. The figures for 1883 were be-
 tween 25O,O0O and 300, ,O0O. This trade has
 nearly ruined the sale of the middle grades of
 butter. The proportions of oleomargarine
 and butterine sold are about half and half
 the latter leading in the winter and the for
 mer in the summer. The retailers pay from
 thirteen to sixteen cents pound for oleo-
 margarine and from tGenty-four to twenty five cents for butterins. They retail olsomargarine for from twenty to thirty cents and butterine all the way from thirty to forty and up to forty-ive cents pound
 ''all out of the same tub,' said the witness. He had never seen any oleomarghrine or but terine sold by retailers for what they really were. If they were sold thus the sales would not be, in his opinion, mere than five per cent. of what they are now. They are sale able because they are good commercials of butter. The presence of these stufs in the market lowers the price of New York State butter from five to ten cents pound. MT. Van Volkenburgh said that he would suggest 8 remedy that the penalty for selling these limitations for butter be made as high as $500 for each violation of the law by retailer and $1 900 by wholesaler, and that half tho fine should be given to the in- former. He thought that men would then go into the business of prose outing dishonest grooer5men and other retail dealers, and would make a good busi- ness of it for while. The witness said that grocerymen take the cover from tub of oleomargarine, lay it on the counter bottom up, and set the tub in it. That conceals the oleomargarine brand on the cover. Then they conceal the brand on the tub by putting 8 Fbest creamery butter" placard over it, and they retail the stuff for butter. He had swear were oleomargarine.
 James H. Seymour, formerly president of the Mercantile Exchange, said that ninety eight per cent. of the articles now sold for butter in New York city consisted of adulter- ated stuff. He knew of but one dealer who sold them for their real worth. The witness suggested a. wiping out of the present laws and the passage of others which could be en- forced by State inspectors appointed by the Governor. The penalty for the violation of the Inv should be at least $1 1000. Should butterine and oleomargarine be sold for what they were the price of butter would be higher, but production would be encouraged.
 And so forth and SO on. In reply to this the manufacturers of bogus butter claim that their limitations are wholesome and well worth the money paid for them. Still, there is no question but that the stuff ought to be sold for what it is, and if the New York leg islature passes law that will make dealers honest in the matter it will do a good thing. We do not, however, really think that this can be done,