Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-23
Substitute for the Grout Measure
Reported.
NOT PLEASING 10 DAIRY INTERESTS
Fear It viii Prevent Legislation
This Session.
TEXT OF THE MEASURE


oleomargarine bill, today reported to the
bill. This will be considered at the full
committee tomorrow.
The substitute, it is understood. is unsat-
isfactory to the dairy and pure food inter-
ests. They fear that this Is a movement to
sidetrack the Grout bill.
If this bill is reported to the House it is
said that it will be unlikely that the bill
will ever be called up, and that there will
be no legislation a this session.
Text of the Substitute.
The substitute is as follows:
That sections 3 and of an act entitled
tax upon and regulating the manufacture
sale, Importation and expectation of oleo-
margarine approved August . 1886, be
amended so as to read as follows:
Sec. l. That special tax on the manufac-
tCre and sale of oleomarga garine shall be i'm
posed as follows: Manufacturers of oleo-
margarine shall pay six hundred dollars
lures oleomargarine for sale shall be deem
ed manufacturer thereof
Wholesale Dealers Tax.
Wholesale dealers in oleomargarine shall
pay four hundred and eighty dollars per
annum. Every person who sells or offers
for sale oleomargarine in quantities greater
than ten pounds at a time shall be deemed
wholesale dealer therein. but a manufac-
turer of oleomargarine who has given the
required bond and paid the required special
tax, and who sells oleomargarine of his own
production only at the place of its manu-
1icture, in the original packages to which
the taX-pald stamps are affixed, shall not
be required to pay the special tax of a
wholesale dealer on account of such sales
Retail dealers in olemargarine shall pay
SiS per annum. Every person who sells or
oilers Tor sale oleomargarine in quantities
not greater than ten pounds at a time shall
be regarded as retail dealer therein
Sec. ?. That all oleomargarne shall be
put up by the manufacturer for sale in
packages OF one and two pounds, respective
Iy, and i'll no other or larger or smaller
package; and upon every print brick roll
or lump OF oleomargar!ne, before being so
put uD for sale or removal from the fac.
tory. there shall be impressed by the manu-
1acturer the word oleomargarine' in
sunken letters, the size of which shall be
prescribed by regulations made -bs.rthe COM
missioner of internal revenue and approved
by the Secretary of the Treasury
mat every such print, brick, roll or lump
OF oleomargarlne shall be wrapped with
paper with the word "oleomargarine'' print
ed thereon in distinct letters and said
wrapper shall also bear the name OF the
manufacturer, and shall be put up by the
manufacturer thereof in such wooden or
paper packages or in such wrappers, and
marked. stamped and branded in such man
ner as the commissioner of internal revenue
with the approval of the Secretary of the
treasury. shall prescribe: Provided, Tha:
any number of such original stamped pack
ages may be put up by the manufacturer in
crates or boxes, on the outside of which
shall be marked the word "oleomargarine'
with such other marks and brands as the
commissioner of internal revenue shall, by
regulations approved by the Secretary OF
the Treasury, prescribe.
Retail dealers in oIeomargarine shall sell
only the original package to Which the tax
paid stamp is affixed.
Penalties Provided.
Every person who knowingly sells or Of
fers for sale, or delivers or offers to de-
liver, any oleomargarine otherwise than as
provided by this act or contrary to the
regulations of the commissioner of internal
revenue, made in pursuance hereof, or who
packs in any package any oleomargarine
in any manner contrary to law, 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 the first offense not less
than 800 nor more than $500 and be i'm
prisoned not less than thirty days nor more
than six months, and for the second and
every subsequent offense shall be fined
not less than $500 nor more than 81 900 and
be imprisoned not less than sixty days nor
more than two years
Report of subcommittee.
The report of the subcommittee is as fol-
lows:
The subcommittee on animal industry of
the committee on agriculture. having under
consideration H. r. 37l7. known as the
Grout bill, today reported the bill back to
the full committee. with the following find
ingS and amendments:
The chief complaint, and the only just
complaint, against the existing oleomarsa-
rine law consists in the facility with which
the retail dealer, in breaking the original
package and substituting new wrappers,
may violate the law. There is nothing in
II. r. 3111 knoWn as the Grout bilD which
would decrease the temptation or increase
the difficulty of such violations. On the
contrary. the increased taxation to be
temptation. Fl. r. 37l7 merely increases
taxation without providing any new or ad-
dltlonal penalties or any new methods to
prevent the sale of oleomargarine as but
Ter, either IN IT'S colored or uncolored state.
one OF the claims made by the friends
of the Grout bill is that it will protect the
interests of the farmer We call attention
to the fact that every ingredient that en-
ters INTO the manufacture of oleomargarine
Is as much a product of the farm as is
butter, and that such ingredients are made
more valuable on account Of their use IN
the manufacture of oleomargarine.
1oul committee mas had before 1t repre-
sentatives of both the cattle and hog raisers
OF the country. and also representatives of
the cotton industry, and they are unan-
nous IN their opinion that their business
Will be materially injured and the price
on their product lowered by the passage of
the Grout bill and the destruction of the
oleomargarine industry
O1eomargarine an article of food is nu-
tritious and wholesome, composed practi-
cally of the identical ingredients as butter,
as shown by charts submitted lii testimony
by DR.. Wiley. chief chemist of the De-
partment of Agriculture.
Does Not Interfere With Butter In
dustry.
The manufacture and sale of -oleomarga-
rine does not interfere with the growth and
prosperity of the butter industry. Statistics
show much greater percentage in the in
crease of the production of butter than in
the production of oleomargarine. Though
similar in ingredients, they are not strictly
competing, as the oleomargarfne is prac-
tically all bought by the poorer class of
our people and butter by the well-to-do
The claim made by the friends of the bill
that the manufacture and sale of oleo-
margarine has greatly deprecated the
price OF butter will not obtain when 1t is
known that there is now manufactured in
the United States nearly two billion pounds
OF butter annually. aud it Il positively