The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-08-18
Vermont Dairymen and Bogus Butter.

tst Adams Correspondence Boston Journal,
August l01
The enactment of the oleomargarine law
by congress has had no appreciable effect
thus far on the butter market in Vermont
The dairymen of the state were vitality in
terested in the passage of bill that should
be prohibitive of the traffic in bogus butter,
and it is believed that the imposition of a
tax of ten cents per pound on oeomargarine
as provided in the original bill, would have
effected the desired result The senate
amendment, whereby the tax was reduced
to two cents per pound, proves to be unsats-
factory to many dairy farmers, as it still adj
mits of the manufacture and sale of oleo-
margarine at handsome profit and at a less
price than butter. This being the first
market day in st. Adams since the bill was
passed, the Joarndt correspondent took oc-
casion to interview number of Franklin
county dairymen concerning the probable
effect of the oleomargarine law on the but
ter market. Franklin county diaries an
nually produce over four million pounds of
butter, much of which is " gilt edge " and
goes to the Boston market. Their views
may be summed up as follows: That the
dairy industry is very much depressed and
the market price of butter has ruled very
low all summer. Butter quotations remain
unchanged, and no improvement is antici-
pated in prices on account of the oleomar-
garine legislation of congress. That the OPP
Grafton of the law is not likely to appreciate
will therefore be of no material benefit to
the producers of first-class quality butter.
That the tax of two cents per pound is much
too light tariff on oleomargarine, and is
but slight burden for the makers and deal
ers to bear. That feature of the bill that re-
qulres all packages of spurious butter to be
so branded before it is sold does not meet
the demands of the dairy interest, as it is
believed that much oleomargarine is made
and sold as such, and that it is used know
ingly by large boarding-house keepers and
others who buy substitute for butter in
large quantities. Several prominent dairy
men comment severely on the action of con-
greSS in legaiZing the manufacture and sale
of oleomargarine in the United States, when
its production and vending is strictly pro-
hlblted in Canada by an act of parliament
The TACT that the law does not take effect
for ninety days, or until after the fall butter
season is nearly over, is unfavorably COM
mented upon. The general opinion seems
to be that no immediate improvement in
the butter market can be expected by rea-
son OF the enactment of the oleomargarine
law. What the prospective benefit is to be
to the dairymen of Vermont is wholly prob
lematical The best lots of dairy butter were
sold to-day for fifteen cents per pound,
While medium grades brought from ten to
thirteen cents. These are starvation prices
for dairymen, but the figures are not so low
but that the makers and sellers of oleomar-
garine can realize handsome profit in COM
petition with the product of the dairy Sew
eral of the largest butter buyers for the Bos-
ton market who We're in town do not believe
that the new law will cause any apprecia-
ton in the market price of butter this sea-
son, and that their best grades of butter will
not be affected by the operation of the law.
They admit that certain proportion of cleo
margarine is now sold by retail dealers as
spurious butter, and that it is bought in
preference to butter of certain grades. The
claim made by the largest manufacturers of
oleomargarine of having scored a victory in
securing legal recognition of the traffic in
bogus butter by the government which,
under the law, stamps it as a commercial
commodity, is not reassuring to the dairy
farmers