Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-16
The Wadsworth Bill Referred to
Several Times.
COMMISSIONER WILSON'S VIEW
Dr. Wiley Objects to the Product
Being Passed as Butter.
TENT OF THE MEAS Z RE

| another hearing today upon the oleomar-
| garine subject. The bill introduced by
! Chairman Wadsworth, which will be put
| forward proposed substitute for the
| Grout bill. is pending and was referred to
| several times during the hearing
| Commissioner Wilson of the internal rev
| enue bureau appeared before the committee
and discussed at some length the revenue
| features of the oleomargarine laws and
| pending legislation. Mr.. Wilson made the
statement that the internal revenue bureau
! did not execute the oeomargarine law from
| the pure food point of view, but from the
standpoint of obtaining revenue. Mr. Will
son said that If the Grout bill raising the
| taxes should pass he thought there would
| he no successful evasion of the increased
| tax and that it would be possible TO make
! the corrections. Mr.. Wilson was favorably
| disposed toward the Wadsworth bill and
thought it would be good measure from
| the internal revenue bureaus point of view.
| DIR. c. NJ. Champion, the chemist of the
| internal revenue bureau, produced some
| samples of the ingredients of oleomar-
| garine These consisted of neutral lard.
| oeo oil and cottonSeed oil. DIR. Champion
| said that he had found nothing de!eterious
| in oleoma rgarine samples which he had
| analyZed.
| DIR. Wiley's Testimony.
Then DIR. Wiley, the pure food expert of
| the Agricultural WIS
Dr. Wiley said there was nothing deleteri-
Gus to health in oleomargarine and he had
no unreasoning prejudice against oleomar-
garine as such, but he insistent that
| there should be no deception and that oleo-
| margarine should not be sold as butter
ANY one who sells an article for what
| it is not said DR.: Wiley. lis guilty of
| false pretenses He has committed crime.
and any who sells oeomargarine
| butter should be prosecuted as criminal.
THE fraud in selling oleomargarine as
butter is the most pronounced fraud prac-
| ticed in this country" continued Dr. Wiley.
Several times during the course of his
| remarks DR.. Wiley laid stress upon his po-
| sition against permitting oleomargarine to
be passed off on the public butter.
DIR. Wiley said that oleomargarne does
not digest readily as butter. The fats in
the two articles very similar. but the
presence Of certain volatile acids in butter
renders it easier of digestion. He exhibited
] diagram which showed a certain percent
| age of stearine in butter.
Why do you mean that there is stearne
| in butter?' asked Chairman Wadsworth.
DIR. Wiley replied that there was small
| amount. but nothing like the quantity OF
stearine in oleomargarine. He thought that
| in oleomarsarine there would be from 20 TO
- per cent of stearine.
A member of the committee called his at
tention to the report of the internal reve-
nue. bureau. showing a much smaller pro-
portion of stearine in oleomargarine.
Dr. Wiley explained that the report did
not indicate the amount OF Stearlne Whcn
is contained in the oleo OIL neutral lard and
other ingredients of oeomargarine. and
which would be calculated in the total
Continuing his talk against fraudulent
told Of the use of renovated butter. He
said that once in Indiana he had seen
large numbers of barrels Of butter Of
all grades collected indiscriminately, which
We're shipped to Elgin. ILL.,, where the
butter was renovated. the objection
able acids cured by the use of an alkai
and otherwise put through a process and
the product sold to the public
Two representatives of oleomargarine
manufactures in the west then addressed
the committee.
DIR. Wiley said he had recently bought
number of samples of oleomargarine and
butter in this city artficially colored and
had analyzed the coloring matter. He said
that coal tar dyes used almost
clusively, and there seemed to be practical
ly no vegetable coloring matter at all.
Some people may not object to dyeing
their interior a saffron hue" said DIR.
Wiley. but I don't like it. l think the
dairy people would do better not to color
their butter, but to sell it in its natural
coor."
Text of the Wadsvvorth Bill.
The full text of the Wadsworth bill as
introduced. is follows:
That sections three and six of an act
entitled IAN act defining butter. also i'm
posing tax upon and regulating the man
ton of oleoma argarine," approved August
p 1885, be amended to read as fol-
lows:
Sec /. That all oleoma rgarine shall be
hacked by the manufacturer thereof in
firkns, tubs or other wooden packages not
before used for that purpose. each contain
ing not less than five pounds, and marked,
stamped and branded as the commissioner
of internal revenue, with the approval OF
the Secretary of the Treasury, shall pre-
scribe: Provided. That when such pack
ages are packed in prints. bricks, rolls or
Jumps the word 'oleomargarine' shall be
impressed in sunken letters, the size TO De
prescribed by the commissioner OF internal
revenue and approved by the secretary OF
Jumps so packed: and all sales made by
manufacturers of oleomargarlne ana wnole-
sale dealers in oleomargarlne shall De IN
original stamped packages. Retail dealers
in oleomargarine must sell only from orig
iral stamped packages, In quantities NOT
exceeding ten pounds. and only IN original
stamped packages when packed IN solid
bulk or in prints. bricks, rolls or Jumps,
as received from the manufacturer
Every person who knowingly sells or or
fers for sale or delivers or offers to deliver
any oleomargarine in any other form than
in the original packages as above described.
or in prints. bricks, rolls or Jumps, as re-
ceived frcm the manufacturer. or who
packs fr any package any oleomargarine in
any manner contrary to law. or who falsely
brands any package affixes a stamp on
any package denoting a less amount of
tax than that required by law. shall be
fined for each offense not more than sl00O
and be imprisoned not more than two years.
Sec .. That special tax on the manufac-
ture and sale of oleomargarine shall be i'm
posed as follows: Manufacturers shall pay
$500 per annum. Every person who manu-
factures oleomargarine for sale shall be
deemed manufacturer thereof.
Wholesale dealers in oleomargarine shall
pay $3.50 per annum. Every person who
sells or offers for sale oleomargarine in
greater quantities than ten pounds at q
time shall be deemed wholesale dealer
therein but any manufacturer of oleomar-
garine who has given the required bond and
paid the required special tax, and who sells
oleomargarinc of hiss sown product only at
the place of its manufacture. in the original
packages to which the tax-paid stamps are
affixed shall not be required to pay the spe-
cial tax of wholesale dealer on account Of
such sales
Retail dealers in oleomargarne shall
pay $24 per annuEl Every person who sells
oleomargarine in quantities not greater than
ten pounds at a time shall be regarded as
a retail dealer therein"