Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-05
BOGUS BUTTER EXPORTS.
How Oleomargnrine is Shipped ms But
ter to South America.

How OleOmargnrine is Shipped ms Butt
ter to South America.
The dairy interests of the country are
jeopardized, 1t is claimed, by the practice
Of merchants shipping oleomargarine to
South America and West Indian ports, the
packages being SO branded as to indicate
that the contents are butter. Under recent
decisions of the internal revenue bureau. 1t
is asserted, shippers can send oleomarga-
rine out of the country in such a manner
as to permit 1t to be sold as butter. The
result has been in some cases to greatly in
jure the butter trade. A statement just
issued by the New York Mercantile Elk
change says:
In July, 1891, the oleomargarine men pre-
vailed upon Internal Revenue Commission
er Mason to rule that the ease" in which
the tins Of oleomargarine were packed
was the package" referred to in the law.
AS soon as this Interpretation was given
brand the tins oleomargarine and branded
them butter and the outer case oleomar-
garine, and from that time until the spring
Of 1894 80 per cent of all the oleomargarine
cleared for foreign markets was so marked.
All sorts of frauds were used. such as
Western Dairy" Suffolk Creamery"
Garden City Creamery" Empire Cream
cry"
In the spring Of 1894 a committee was
appointed by the New York mercantile
exchange to look into the matter and found
tHdt OUTSIDE Oh the clearance OF OleOmar-
garine there was no regard paid to the
law and all of the exports were branded
butter. The committee waited upon Com
missioner Miller. called his attention to
these abuses, gave him proofs that the
statements of the committee were correct
and he ruled that the case was not the
package referred to in the law, but the tins
were, and that the oleomargarine exporters
and manufacturers must cease branding
their goods butter or any name that in
ferred butter in any language of the islands
or countries for which goods were intend
ed, such as "burre" for goods intended for
the French West Indies Islands and man
tQuila' for goods for the Spanish Islands
and South American countries, but he did
not rule that they must brand 1t oleomar-
garine, nor has he so ruled DIP to this time.
and large quantities of oleomargarine ere
being shipped marked with favori.e terms
by which butter is known, such as Fancy
Goshen, Extra Elgin Creamery, IT x, l..
Dairy" and other marks that signify butter
and nothing but butter. and these goods
are leaving New York so marked this week
In some cases the tins are entirely blank
with no mark whatever upon them while
the case is branded oleomargarine. and
butter labels are sent by express or mail
to ports of destination and there put upon
the goods.
The importations of butter into Brazil
are $6OOO,OOO annually, and into Rio jan
GIRO. $25OO.0OO. and since the Introduction
OF olecmargarfEe the prejudice against our
butter has become so great that our ex-
ports to Brazilian ports for the past year
will be less than ever before. barely reach.
ing $1O0,00W South American countries are
now sending their butter orders to Dem
mark. that government guaranteeing the
quality and purity of it's goods and a
purchase In Danish market means to the
buyer delivery of what he pays for.