Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-03
BUTTER AND CHEESE.
Effect of Adulterants in These Two
Staple Products.

| THE near approach of the date in Con-
gress set for the consideration Of the Grout
| oleomargarine BILL said j. r. Dodge OF this
/ city. one of the leading authorities on sta
| tistical matters, to a Star reporter, calls
| to mind the fate of our cheese export trade
| by reason of the authorizations used in the
| manufacture of that article by unscrupu-
| lous dealers, and it is a parallel case with
| the issue of pure butter against spurious
representations, the affirmative of which
| issue, by the way, l have observed that The
| Star has forcibly and earnestly supported.
Some years ago this country enjoyed a
| large export trade in cheese of. think, in
| round numbers, about 100000 pounds
annually. Most Of it went to England.
Some INSCRIPTIONS manufacturers con-
ceived the idea Of adulterating 1t by remov-
ing the cream and substituting lard, pro-
ducing what is Familiarity known as filed
cheese.
THE result was disastrous to us. When
they discovered abroad the fraud they stop
ped buying 1t the trade fell off two-thirds,
and during the past ten months we have eX-
ported but 40. 100000 pounds.
AT the time of which l speak Canada
exported only much we export now.
The makers of cheese in the dominion, how
ever, exported the real article, and the re-
suit is that we have shifted places with the
dominion on the export of cheese. Buyers
abroad lost confidence in our product would
not buy It. and our genuine article suffered
by reason of the adulterated product.
THE same principle holds good with but
ter For the ten months ending October 30
this country exported 10 &C., 600 pounds of
pure butter. as against 4.1S7,OOO pounds
during the corresponding ten months of
1899. There is no reason why this country
should not export ten times this amount to
England in competition with butter from
Denmark, Holland and France the principle
sources Of supply of the English market.
provided we sell the pure article and at
tempt no deception We exported during
the two periods have named imitation butt
ter to the amount Of 3.219.0OO and $4,000
pounds. respectively, and no less than 1885,.
100000 pounds of the oleo oil in 1900 end
ing with October. as against s26400O
pounds IN 1899. during the same period.
This means of course. that the oleo Is
used abroad as an adulterant very extern
sively. But if the Europeans could be i'm
pressed with the fact that the American ar
ticle is the genuine stuff they would buy
accordingly.
Legislation is needed for the protection
of our farmers and the public at large, and
/ believe that the Grout bill will ultimately
pass both houses of Congress 1t Is an eX-
cellent measure. has the Endorsement of the
entire dairying industry Of this country, and
it will protect the people from the impos-
ture Of oleomargarne colcred so as to de-
ceive and defraud the buyer. The people
are entitled to a protective measure of this
sort. and the manufacturers of the spurious
product should not be permitted to foist
their compound upon the public as pure
dairy butter as is the case now. The sale
VI o'eOHudI DIS SucH COuiu not, Oh
course be stopped. but what the farmers
and the buying public demand Is that 1t
shall be sold in its original state. and
where it is artfully colored to represent real
butter 1t should be sold imitation butter,
under proper restrictions and In manner
so positive that deception is impossible.
THE influences behind the oleomargarine
product are concentrated and powerful. but
public sentiment and public demand for the
defeat of their purposes should be still
more powerfully urged. to the end that fed-
eral laws will do 1nstice to all concerned"