The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-09
PURE LARD OUT OF DATE.
A LARGE MANUFACTURES SAYS
TITS ALMOST UNSALEABLE.

TT Is ALMOST UNSALEABLE.
The Compound of Hog Lard, Cotton
Seed Oil and Beef Fat Declared
Healthier Than the Pure Product Of
the Hog What Was Shown by Tests.
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.--The inquiry with
regard to lard and its compounds, begun
two weeks ago by the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, before which is pending the
bill to require lard compounds 70 be
stamped and their manufacturers to ba
licensed, was continued to-day, and inter
eSted parties to the number of twenty-five
or thirty, comprising manufacturers, at
torneys and experts We're present Mr.. Hill,
of Boston, au employe of Squire Il Co,
who are the proponents of the
pending bill provided samples of
various compounds in tin pals which
no had purchased in open market
and caused TO be chemically examined. He
testified as to the compound of each speci-
men, but some matters were more fully
covered by Prof, Sharpless of Boston, who
had made the examination. A sample
bearing the stamp of Armour & Co., pure
refined family lard, y was found to contain
about 60 per cent. of hog lard and 20 per
| NcAll. tdCil Ol GOulOu Sebl OH ana DefI IaU.
A sample of the 'prime refined family
lard" of Fairbanks & Co., of Chicago, was
made of the same elements, but had a
greater proportion of beef fat and cotton
seed oil.
NO HOG IN THEM.
A sample bearing the stamp "Halstead &
Co, pure family lard and another from
the same firm stamped in Spanish, Pure
lard registered K, contained, so far as the
tests had been carried not particle of
hogs lard, but were made entirely of beef
and cotton seed OIL
Mr. Hill, who produced these samples
said he had never heard of the firm Of
Halstead q Co. before, but he had pur-
chased the samples in a respectable neigh
borhood in New York.
| Mr.. Squires attorney produced package
Of pure leaf lard" put up by Squire q
Co. and purchased in open market by Prof
Sharpless, which, the latter testified. was
entirely hog product and contained no trace
of anything. He was questioned at length
about the method and comparative health
fulneSs of hogs lard, beef fat and cotton
seed oil. In regard to cotton seed oil, he
saiC it: healthfuness as an article
of diet was still mooted question. 1t was
a matter for medica! men to decide Mr.
Hill and Mr. Sharpless being cross examined
testified that the bulk of Squire's product
was quality of lard inferior to that pro
duced and stamped "pure lard" in contra
distinction to pure leaf lard" 1t was en-
tirely hog product, different, however,
from 'the trimmings of the hog including
a portion of the leaf.
A HISTORY OF THE BUSINESS.
Mr.. Fairbank of Fairbank e. Co., of Chi
cago, took the witness stand and described
to the committee the history of the modern
lard product Twenty five years ago lard
| I,il ba hor
ing a stearine hard, waxy substance, for
which there was little demand. Then a
firm in New York conceived the idea of
mixing this stearine with ordinary lard,
and formed a compound which gave
better satisfaction, especially in
warm countries, than pure lard
Then the packing houses, i'll making lard.
got to dumping into~the pans everything,
head feet, intestines, etc, and made a
product which was offensive, having, as the
witness said, a "hOggy taste" Refiners cast
about for something to neutralize this and
found it in cotton seed oil. Out of 100 tierces
of packers lard the retiners got about one
tierce of mud and fitch "as black as your
coat" To the product thus refined and
purified they now added 25 per cent of cot
ton seed oil and 10 per cent. of stearine,
which compound comprises seven-eghths
of the lard now on the market.
PURE LARD NOT LIKED.
Once or twice when the compound ran
short pure lard had been supplied TO Gus
toners and the witness was overwhelmed at
once with complaints that the consumers
were dis satisfied. The trouble with Mr.
Squire. Mr.. Fairbanks said, arose from the
fact that his (the witness) firm had secured
large part of Mr.. Squre's trade, especially
i'll New England and that gentleman had
| agtated the passage of the bill because
small dealers would not take out a license
to sell the compound as required by the
bill. As no license would be required to
sell pure hog lard they would resume the
purchase of lard manufactured by Mr.
Squire. The demand for legislation
did not come from the people
The constantly increasing sales Of lard made
by the witnesses firm, proved that the pub
lie wanted their lard. If his lard should be
adulterated with injurious substances the
effect would quickly be communicated to
him in reduced sales. He asserted the supe-
riOr healthlulness Of the compound as com
pared with pure hog lard and when asked
why he did not label il as compound lard,
then said that the American people were
not educated to the use of oils yet. He OBJ
iected TO being compelled to change the
brand "Refined lard" because that label
was part of his stock in trade, and the re-
suit of twenty-five years attention to bust
ness.
| WANIED ~ lNfOhM Iub Trade.
Senator George-And especially in obe-
dience to the condennatOry lawT
The witness assented TO this. He had
proposed statement TO dealers stating
what the compounds of the product were,
but his partner had natural dislike 10
doing anything that might disturb the even
course in which things were running The
examination was conducted running. Cross
examination was conducted especially with
"A view to showing that the witness objec-
ton 10 the passage Of the law arose from
the fact that it would require him to let
the public know the nature OF his product,
but he in general reiterated his statements
that the article was healthy, that large
trade had been built up upon that particu
lar name and thatEthe public, after using
his lard could tell whether il was good or
not without legislation stigmatizing a
product which the United States Congress
had thought it necessary 10 guard the
people against The hearing is TO be con
tinued tomorrow.
INCONSISTENCIES FROM ARKANSAS.
FoRr SMITH, ARK, Feb. s.-Remon-
strances are being prepared in this section
| to Ia forwarded tD the Arkansas ReDreseu-