Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-16
BOGUS BUTTER MEN
Treasury officials Moving Vigor-
ously Against Them.
REGULATION REGARDING TRADE MARKS
Not Allowed to Use Any Design
Suggesting Dairy.
WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES

w I1AI LIE LA w hLSS 1hEo
| The publication in The Star yesterday of
| an account of the activity displayed in the
legal campaign against the violators of
| the statutes governing the sale of oleo-
margarine created much CONSERVATION
| among the dealers in the product who had
| failed to follow the requirements of the
law, and corresponding degree of salts
faction on the part of the sellers of genu-
| inc butter, who have for so long been COM
| PEELED to suffer from the competition of
| those unscrupuloCs enough to offer imi-
! tation butter for the genuine at the prices
| commanded by the latter.
There was also evident today an immense
amount of interest among the consumers
| of butter, and a Star reporter who visited
| several genuine butter merchants was in
| formed that almost every customer who
had come in during the morning had
spoken Of The Stars article and ex
| pressed the hearty hope that the authorities
| would not allow a single guilty person to go
UNPUBLISHED. There were threats INDUCED
| in by some dealers in oleomargarine that
| they would flood the city with first-class
genuine butter and sell it below cost in
| order to drive those who have sold only the
| genuine article at all times out of the bust
ness, and spend money freely in this way
to work the ruin of those who took the
| initiative in the present vigorous cam
paign against the illegal sale of oleomarga-
rine. Some Of these dealers affect to be-
lieve that the treasury officials are not in
earnest in their present attitude and that
even If 1t is proven beyond any doubt that
there have been constant and general vio-
lations of the oleomargarine laws, those
found to be guilty will be allowed to plead
ignorance and be required to undergo no
penalty other than the payment of the
| fines provided by the statutes.
Recent Regulations.
In view Of the very vigorous measures
recently taken by the Treasury Department
| this confidence of the oleomargarine men
| does not appear to have any firm basis to
rest on. October % last a stringent order
was issued from the treasury regulating the
export of oleomargarine and defining the
packages in which it should be packed and
the manner in which they should be packed.
The next day, October D. still more
| important order was issued by Commissioner
| of Internal Revenue Jos. S. Miller, which
will go into effect January /, 1896. After
recit1ng that 1t had come to the notice of the
| Internal revenue office that certain manu-
facturers of oleomargarine and dealers in
| that product encroach upon the law in the
| use of private trademarks, brands, labels pic
ture illustrations or other advertising or de-
scriptfve devices placed upon prints rolls or
other forms and designs of Jumps of oleo-
margarine sold or removed for consumption
or use in the United States, the commission
er of internal revenue states that with the
approval of the Secretary of the Treasury
he establishes regulations, under authority
contained in sections and 20 of the act of
August 2, 1856. He then declares that after
January 1, 1896, mo manufacturer of or
dealer in oleomargarine will be permitted to
use any private trademark, label brand,
picture illustration or other advertising or
descriptive device upon any print, roll or
| other mold or design of oleomargarine offer
ed for sale, consumption or use, which in
yxr-tco
| is oleomargarne This rule applies as well
to the wooden or paper package or wrapper
OF any print. roll or other mold or design of
oleomargarine."
the use of any trademark. label, brand, pic
ture illustration or advertising or descrip-
tive device representing or dairy farm
or in any other form indicating the oleomar-
garine to be a product of the dairy, or cal
culated to induce the belief that it is such
dairy product is inadmissible. Commission
e. Miller declares that the use of the word
'butterine' Is also inadmssible, since sec
ton of the act of August . 1885, prescribes
that "butterine" shall be known and desig-
mated as 'oleomargarine."
II Will be seen from this that the trea sury
officials are not only alive to the misrepre-
sensations that surround the selling of mi
tatton butter, but are determined that no
subterfuge will be permitted by which even
the most ignorant purchaser may be i'm
posed upon.
Defining Butter.
According to the act defining butter and
imposing tax upon and regula ting the
manufacture, sale, importation and expor-
tation of o!eomargarine. it is provided that
for the purpose of the act the word but
ter shall be understood to mean the food
Product made exclusively from milk or
cream, with or without common salt and
with or without additional cooring matter
1t also provides that certain manufacture
products certain extracts and certain mix
lures and compounds, including such mix
lures and compounds with butter shall be
known and designated as oleomargarine.
namely: All substances heretofore known as
oleomargarine, cleo, oleomargarine Oil, but
terine. lardine, suine and neutral; all lard
extracts and tallow extracts, and all mix
lures and compounds of tallow beef fat
suet, lard, lard oil, vegetable oil, annotto,
and other coloring matter, intestinal fat and
offal fat made in imitation and semblance
of butter, ,r when, made. calculated, in
tended to be sold as butter for butter.
Retail Dealers.
The section relating to retail dealers,
which is particularly interesting just now,
and the regulat tons Of the treasury are as
follows:
Retail dealers in oleomargarne must sell
only from original stamped packages, in
quantities not exceeding ten pounds, and
shall pack the oleomargarne sold by them
in suitable wooden or paper packages,
which shall be marked and branded as the
commissioner of internal revenue, with the
approval of the Secretary of the Treasury,
shall prescribe. Every person who know
ingiy sells or offers for sale, or delivers OF
offers to deliver. any oleomargarine in any
other form than in new wooden or paper
packages as above described, who PACKS
in any package any oleomargarine in any
manner contrary to law, or who falsely
brands any package or affixes stamp on
any package denoting less amount of tax
than that required by law shall be fined for
each offense not more than one thousand
dollars, and be imprisoned not more than
two years."
The treasury regulations declare that the
words "oleomargarine" and pound" which
are required to be printed branded on
retailers wooden or paper packages in let
ters not less than one-quarter of an inch
square, and the quantity, which is required
to be written, printed or branded thereon in
figures of like size, must be SO placed as to
be plainly visible to the purchaser at the
time of delivery to him. ulegible or con-
cealed marks and brands are not those con-
templated and required by the law and reg
ulations 1t will not be deemed a compli-
ance with the regulation If the word ''oeo-