The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-04-30
BOGUS BUTTER.
The State Commissioner After the
Jersey City Dealers.
speciaI o the Jersev citu Nelgs

TRENTON. April 80. 1881 = State
Dairy Commissioner, George Mcclure,
has begun his vigorous campaign against
oleomargarine. The Philadelphia and
New York dealers have flooded the State
with bogus butter and in the short time
that the searching has been going on by
the Deputies they have found enough to
warrant the institution OF some twelve
suits. The State Chemist, Shippen Wal
lace, is kept busy in his laboratory max
Ing ANALYSIS Of samples sent to him by
the Deputies, and other suits will follow
In rapid succession. New Jersey has
been for several years kept free from
since the decision of the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court that it could be handled
In original packages the Phila-
delphia merchants are impos-
ing upon the general igno-
rance Of the New Jersey merchants and
unloading considerable Of the goods in
this State. Beginning at Trenton and ex-
tending down to Atlantic City there is
scarcely town or city in which the law
is not being violated. This is known 10
be fact, because letters are pouring in
on the Diary Commissioner from mer-
chants In these towns complaining that
competitors are selling alleged butter be-
loW tuo WuOieShlb price, ana the ROOuS
are known to be bogus. Deputy Inspector
Vandergrift is now making a tour OF
these southern towns, and has located
considerable of the bogus stuff, aud he is
arranging to bring suits In Trenton, Cam
den and Gloucester City.
THE DEPUTY AT WORK IN JERSEY CITY.
Deputy Tracy is at work In the upper
part of the State, particularly in Newark
and Jersey City. The goods in the lower
part of the State come from Philadel-
phia market. and many Of the dealers are
not complying with the law, because the
jobbers are leading them astruy as TO its
requirements. Wherever oleo or colored
butter is found. the dealers make the ex-
cuse that il they have failed to comply
with the law. they did 1t because they
were imposed on by the party from who IN
they purchased the goods. One dealer in
Trenton last Monday paid fine of 500
because he did not have his tubs properly
marked. Yesterday inspectors again
went through his place and found twenty
tubs Of colored butter and he is again to
be arrested. He makes the excuse that
the concern from whom he purchased the
invoice stated that IL was not against the
law to sell colored butter, but this Is the
very thing the State is looking for.
The law is strong in its provisions
against the adding OF coloring matter to
butter substitutes in imitation OF the vel
specrors can tell the colored butter as
soon as they see it, but the law requires
chemical analysis before proceedings can
be taken. and on this account Chemist
Wallace's laboratory Is doing work night
and day. Dairy Commissioner Mcclure
says there is considerable bogus butter
sold in Jersey City. There are two dis
tributing concerns there, but they are
more or less careful to put their goods TO
retail dealers who have a license. There
are many dealers who are violating the
law, and evidence is being collected
against them. In Newark there is not so
much OF oleomargarins. or bogus butter,
sold In the stores because OF the watch
fulness of several large dealers In straight
dairy goods. Nearly all the restaurants
in Newark use bogus butter, but it seems
TO be impossible to reach them by law, as
they set up the defence that they do not
sell the goods. but give it away with the
meals.
THE LAW TO BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.
The ps sirion OF the State Dairy Commis-
sioner is not to stop or interfere with the
sale OF bogus buffers, but to require them
to be sold for what they actually are. The
law requires that the tubs shall be prop
erly marked so that all that buy can see
what they are getting. This department
of the New Jersey government has given
more attention to the physiological and
any other State in the Union. 1t en-
pioyed Henry H. Cornwall. PHI. d., pro-
fessor OF analytical chemistry at the Col
lege of New Jersey. He states that the
fats in imitation butter are practically
in araw state, and are likely to contain
parasitic organisms or impurities likely
to injure the consumer. Ia regard 10 the
possible presence Of parasites it may be
said that while the assertion that there Is
often danger of introducing such organ
isms through the medium Of beef fat,
seems TO rest on slight foundation, yet
the recent experiences Of lard renderers
make the question an important one.
Many scientific men, particularly those
who study parasites. are irm in the belief
that parasites are found In the fat of ami
mails. Therefore, the making of oleo-
margarine should be q matte of State in
spection. which 1t is not. Only in this
way could 1t be observed whether the fat
from sound animals were being used in
its manufacture. He. however, does not
think that there Is any danger from the
use Of chemicals In refining the fat. He
says that as long rs they manufacture
imitation butter to resemble the genuine
article. as they do now, their manufacture
and sale are legitimate objects OF sanitary
supervision. The poorest Judge of butter
can readily avoid eating the imitation.
When butter Is spoiled 1t is impossible to
distinguish it from the imitation article.
The Evening Press of Newark Sus-
pended.
Special TO the Jeysev Citg Ne,cs.
Nrru4pr- x.rfl 1oOf affar Ttr.e