Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-10-08
oLEOMARGARINE.

The new law relating to oleomargarine,
butterine, and other kindred substances
which are sold and used in the place OF
butter, goes into effect on the lst OF next
month. The statute is exceedingly strict
and severe in regard to the penalties for
its violation, and it behooves all dealers
in butter, wholesale and retail, to ac-
quaint themselves thoroughly with its
provisions before it goes into effect. The
law makes liable to tax all substances
except genuine butter, made exclusively
from cream or milk, the only other mate
rials exempted in its manufacture being
salt and coloring matter. All manufac-
tured substances, heretofore known as
oleomargarine, oleo, soleogamarine-oil,
butterine, lardine, suine, and neutral
lard and tallow extracts, and all mixtures
and compounds Of tallow, or beef fat,
lard, lard oil, vegetable oil, annotto, in
testinal and offal fat, made in imitation
or semblance of butter, or used in
connection with the genuine article, rem
ders the compound liable to the tax, and
the selling of such without the proper
stamps and labels, and without first pro-
curing proper license, is msdemeanor,
punishable by fine and Imprisonment. In
short, nothing can be used except salt
and mere coloring matter without in
curing the liability of the tax. The manu-
facturers' license is 5000 year, wholesale
dealers $3.50, and retailers $48. Ten
pounds at one time is the maximum sale
limit for retail dealer, while the whole
saler sells only in the manufacturers
packages The retailer must also sell
from the original packages, and is not
permitted to transfer the article to other
receptacles until afterit is sold, when the
law prescribes how it shall be packed for
delivery to customers.
The DEMOCRAT is informed by dealers
that scarcely pound OF what is now sold
in this city and Territory as Eastern but
ter will be exempt from the tax. 1t is
all, or nearly all, adulterated with foreign
substances, but so skillfully compounded
that it is impossible to detect it from the
genuine article by taste or smell. 1t is
fully as palatable as the average butter
made exclusively from cream, and it is
claimed that it is equally wholesome. At
all events it is generally used and ap-
proved, although doubtless under the
supposition that it is made wholly from
the product OF the dairy, The law was
evidently enacted for the protection of the
dairy interest and will have the effect to
materially raise the price of both the
genuine and compounded articles. 1t
will probably for a time lessen the sales
OF the latter, as every purchaser
will know what he is buying, the
law directing that every package shall
be properly labeled, and it will require
time to overcome the popular prejudice
against the name of oleomargarine,
although so much has been consumed
under the guise of genuine butter. The
tax will be great source of revenue to
the Government, probably equalling the
amount derived from manufactured to-
bacco and cigars, as every establishment
that deals in butter will be forced to take
out license or handle only the article
not subject to the tax. The DEMOCRAT
advises all dealers who intend to continue
in the Eastern butter traffic to take out
their licenses in time, as the law obliges
the revenue officers to strictly enforce its
provisions, leaving them but little lati-
tude for lenity in the discharge of their
duty