Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-20
INTENTION OF THE BUTTER MEN.
Congress viii Be Asked to Increase
the Tax on OIeomargarine.


Without doubt an effort will be made in
the next Congress to secure an increase in
the tax on oieomargarne from two cents
to ten cents pound. Public sentiment
travels in waves. and if any special in
terest is shrewd enough to fall in with the
wave it can be fioated. Just now food
authorizations are occupying a good part
Of the stage. While oleomargarine is not
popular mind in the same way. and so the
time for making an attack upon it is spe-
cially pTOpitiOus. Encouraged by the sue
cess of the campaign against the mixed
flour producers. the dairy interests of the
country are planning concerted move for
driving out oieOmargarinc They want a
tax which viii b. for all practical PURPOSES
ProhlbltVe. In one particular they may
miss their reckoning. and that is in re-
gard to the export trade. It has been
stated that one of the greatest grievances
the butter men have against the cleo peo-
pie is that the latter product is CROWNS, SO
rapidly in the export trade. particularly
that of the tropical regions. The oIeo oils
make a suffer product than that of the
dairy and for equatorial regions ii is on
that account. preferred. II is argued that
# there We're no Oleo exported much
larger field would be open TO butter pro-
ducers. This is true, but when the butter
men try 70 make internal revenue taxes
applicable to goods manufactured for ex-
pm NiAC5 may iicl NC SutCcSS4u1
Tax ON Filled Cheese
So far can now be recalled, there is
only one article upon which an internal
revenue tax is levied, in which that tax is
not released when goods are exported
That exception is filled cheese. The laws
exercise guardianship over the health of
other nations in this particular. A tax
of cent a pound is imposed upon all
the filed cheese manufactured, and the
commissioner of internal revenue says
there is no export provision in the filled
cheese law. But with oeoma rgarine sec
ton of the law applies the tax to all cleo
manufactured, while section Is provides an
exemption of all that is exported The
rules of the department are very liberal in
the carrying out of this exemption. The
article is manufactured and shipped in
bend to the place of export, and there a
certain time is further allowed in which
it may be held in bond.
The same Is true of mixed flour Section
10 of the law imposes the tax and section
II provides for the export rebate. How it
happened that an exception to the general
rule was made i'll the case of filled cheese is
not readily understood. The dairy inter-
ests will probably try to revoke the ex-
port provision made in the oleomargarine
case, and levy uniform tax upon ali that
article manufactured, but in this attempt
they will meet very determined resistance
This is probably more than they could ac-
complish
Other Taxes to BE Asked
Congress will be asked to so amend tho
war revenue law in regard to uncompound-
ed drugs as to make coal tar products like
phenacetine and aristol. which are uncom-
pounded subject TO a tax. They have all
the properties of the drugs regularly taxed
They are patented and trade marked; they
cost about a dollar a pound, and sell over
the counters of the apothecary shops at
about $40 a pound. The druggists and
apothecaries believe these products should
be taxed. and so will ask either for an
amendment of the section in regard to un-
compounded drugs or for the specific appli-
cation of a tax to these articles