Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-04
DAIRYMEN IN COUNCIL,

DAlRYMEN IN COUNCIL.
National Convention of the Butter and
Cheese Association Held in Chicago
Discussion of Questions of Interest to
this Important Industry.
CHICAGO, Nov. 1.-THE twelfth annual
convention of the National Butter and
Cheese Association was held at Haverly's
Minstrel Theater Tuesday. Delegations
were present from twenty-one States. After
the convention had been called to order
addresses of welcome were delivered by
Governor Oglesby, Mayor Harrison and E.
Nelson Blake, President of the Board of
Trade of this city. Responses were made
by delegates from various points.
! The permanent organization of the con-
vention was then made, Mr.. John j. Mac
donald as President and Colonel r. M. Lit
tier, Secretary. President Macdonald de-
livered his annual address. The interests
represented in this convention We're shown
by ~+atistics of the trade. In 1850 there
were manufactured Sl3, 345, 600 pounds of
butter d 1O3, SOC, 900 pounds of cheese,
while in 1850 there were SOC. 613, 900
pounds Of butter and 243, 15S, 900 pounds
of cheese. The exports of butter had
increased from 81, 2l5, 1863 in 1850 to SIS
S62, 4O7 in 1880. The total value of the
dairy product of the United States was
$500, 600, 600, exceeding the product Of oats,
wheat, cotton, steel or pig-iron. The
amount invested in dairy cattle exceeds the
enormous sum of 500, 900, 900. Among
other questions touched upon, the speaker
suggested the appointment of a committee
to frame a resolution urging upon the next
Congress the diScOntinuance Of the silver
coinage.
CHICAGO, Nov. 12.-At the session yes
terday morning of the National Butter
and Cheese Association delegates were
present from tenty-four States.
Hon. Norman j. Colman, tile United States
Commissioner of Agriculture, delivered an
address on "The Dairy Interests of the
Country" He said that as soon as
he was appointed Commissioner he
detailed a special agent to procure
statistics of dairy products and also
of the manufacture and sale OF imita-
ton articles. The manufacturers of arti-
fetal butter refused generally to make any
report as to their processes or the quantity
which they turned out on the people. In
vestigations, however, had shown that most
of the material was treated With nitric acid,
and employees had discovered the fact that
their shoes and clothes were ruined in a
short time in a butterine factory. The days
OF o~leomargarine, however, were numbered,
as lard and swine fat were cheaper than
tallow and could be handled more
readily. Mr.. Coiman gave statistics Show
Ing that there was manufactured by we'll
known establishments, which were ready
to give their figures, over 5, ZOO. 900 pounds
OF imitation butter in the cities OF New
York and Boston alone. Nor was this all.
Oleo oils and other authorizations were adj
vertised and were sold to the farmer and
tln ,1oir,Nn, Ht,,c, ,,,,,, ,.;.ol ,.:.I.
cream before it was churned. TO stop these
nefarious practices would be easy if the
parties engaging in them were tabooed in
dairy associations, in agricultural societies
and in social circles. Again, let no COM
mission man be allowed to handle dairy
products who directly or otherwise handles
any bogus articles.
The recent formation of a National Pro-
tective Association would doubtless effect
salntary reforms in connection with the
whole dairy business. Legislators would
feel the influence Of this association,
and would go to councils pledged
to favor dairy interests. Prohibitory
laws respecting oleomargarine and but
terine, Mr.. Coleman said, had been passed
by about twenty States, but sections
of them had been declared unconstitutional
or imperative in New York and Maryland,
and convictions have been difficult to OBJ
tain. He thought that a bill should be care
fully prepared, to be submitted to Congress
at its approaching session, to protect not
only the innocent purchaser and consumer
of a counterfeit article of butter, but like
wise to protect the important dairy inter-
ests of the country.
Mr.. +. D.. Curtis, of New York, and Mr..
w. J. Chamberlain, of Ohio, both declared
the bogus butter was as bad as counterfeit
money, and that it was q crime to make
either. Mr.. Gould, OF Illinois; Mr.. john
son, of Iowa, and others, also spoke against
the manufacture of butterine.
MI. George NJ. Stern. of the firm of Ar
nour d Co., then described the process by
which oleomargarine and butterine were
manufactured, saying that no acids were
used in the process. In their creamery but
terine forty five or fifty per cent. of extra
creamery butter, purchased in the market,
was used. The manufacturers asked a
fair field in this business, as the farmers
themselves had benefited by the introduce
ton of o~leomargarine and butterine. They
had no intention of deceiving anybody.
Thousands of people would rather eat the
creamery butterine than poor butter, and
there was nothing animal in its manu-
facture.