Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-02

in Wisconsin during the
past two years large amount of filed
cheese. This is a kind of cheese in
which neutral oil is substituted for the
natural butter fat. 1t has very poor
heeplhs quantities and is of course in
feror TO full cream cheese in flavor
ana dgestability. 1t has been esti-
mated that over two hundred factories
were turning out this product in Wis
consin during portion Of the mas
year. The cheese has been Skinned
from this state and from Illinois to the
european market in large quantities |
and has given, not only to our own
cheese, but to all American cheese a /
oiack eye IN the European market.
The neutral oil which replaces butter
fat in filled cheese costs between and
cents per pound, while butter fat
has a value during S months of the
year Of from Is to % cents. The profit
in this business has been large. but
has accrued neither to the consumers
Of cheese nor to the farmers who have
supplied these factories. but to the
factory men themselves. The farmers
have received substantially the same
prices for their milk as has been given
at other factories and the cheese has
been sold at slight discount on the
price of the full cream cheese.
What good effects can come from the
enforcement of the. dairy and food
laws of the state? The first good eff
feet will be to secure honesty in the
hl r1Il of hn
j will be to protect the great dairy in
tereStS of this state against the dam
gerOuS competition of cOunterfeits and
frauds. The pressure of legitimate
competition is today hard enough in
the dairy business without being COM
PEELED to enter into competition in the
market with hog and steer products
produced at slight cost, Incorporating
under false names. The efficient exc
cution of these laws will have a ten
dency to bring back to Wisconsin the
reputation which it formerly enjoyed
in the cheese markets of the world.
Prof. Robertson of Canada stated in
an address made six years ago, that It
was impossible to sell Canadian cheese
IN the Canadian markets except under
! an American brand. Today the situa-
ton is exactly reversed owing to the
, stringent dairy and food laws of Can
/ ada and the vigorous manner in which
! they are enforced. Canadian cheese is
selling today for one and one-half to
two cents per pound more than Amer
lean cheese in England.
1t has been claimed that the law
which has just been passed is in the
nature of class legislation. If it were
law which benefited any particular
interest to the detriment of any other
legitimate interest this statement
might be true. but every citizen of
! Wisconsin is vitality interested in
; SQUARE, honest dealing. Honesty in
! business is more vital to the interests
Of all classes in this state, and more
| desirable than that deceptive cheap
ness which comes with the low prices
that are supposed to attach to cOun-
terfeitS in food products. Legisla-
ton which promotes honesty in trade
can never be called "class legislation -
Legislation which will protect the
$120OOO.OO0 which has been invested
in the dairy business in Wisconsin,
and the multitude of interests. both
farming and commercial, which en-
gage in or are interested in, directly
or indirectly, this business. from the
adulteratiOn of our own products and
the competition of the patented coun-
terfeitS of Chicago, must be of real
benefit to every citizen of the state.
! The law which has just been passed
was urged and is defended as vigOr-
Ously by business and professional
men as by the dairymen themselves.
Out of one hundred and thirty-three
members of the Wisconsin legisla-
ture, less than One-fOurth are farmers,
yet in the votes which were taken in
both senate and assembly upon this
law, only two men placed themselves
on record against it.
At the present time there is reason
to believe that the men engaged in
the filled cheese business expect to
either close their factories or make a
legitimate article. A representative
of one of the largest oleomargarine
factories in Chicago, stated in a re-
ceuL luleINIeM, IlldI the lcS lSid IiOll
which had been enacted in recent
years in Massachusetts, New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota,
and Nebraska would be followed by
similar acts on the part Of other
states and that the time would soon
come when butterine, OleOmargarine
or similar compounds must be sold
uncolored, strictly upon their own
merits and for what they actually
were and that the result would be a
very marked falling off in their bust
ness. When Wisconsin can produce
and place in her own markets and
in the markets of the world full
| cream cheese of the best quality. two
results will follow: A greater de-
mand in the market and an increa sed
price.
! In conclusion Mr.. Adams says it is
neither wise nor profitable for any
! officer of the state to declare exactly
! what will be done in the execution of
law, but it may not be improper to say
that so far as the work Of the dairy
| commission in this state is concerned.
an effort will be made to execute the
! dairy and food laws Of the state in a
! spirit of fairness and with an earnest
! desire to secure to our people the bene-
| fits which are anticipated by the legis-
! lature which enacted those laws.
THE FEE QUESTION.