The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-08
THE PURPOSE OF THE BILL
ITS Friends Claim it is to Protect
Dairy Interests.
TWILL KILL oLEoMARGARINE INDUSTRY
So Say It's Foes. Grosyenor Says it Will In
crease Butter Prices. Bailey Asris the
Claim II is to Prevent Fraud
is Itself Fraud.
(By the Associated Press


Washington, Dec. THE House today
passed the Grout Oleomargarine Bill by
a vote of 196 to 92 The substitute Of
fered by the minority of the Committee
on Agriculture which imposed additional
restrictions on the sale of oleomargarine
to prevent it's fraudulent sale as butter
and increased the penalties for violators,
was defeated by vote of 113 to 17S.
The bill as passed makes all articles
tion of butter or imitation cheese trans
ported into any State or Territory for
consumption or sale subject to the police
power of such State or Territory, but
prevents any State or Territory from for
bidding the transportation or sale of such
product when produced and sold free from
cOloration in imitation. The bill in
creases the tax on oleomargarine colored
in imitation of butter from two to ten
cents per pound and decreases the tax on
Oleomargarine uncolored from two cents
to Ac. per pound.
A long and interesting debate preced-
cd the vote in course of which these
who favored the Grout Bill claimed the
additional tax on colored oleomargarine
was the only effective remedy for pre-
venting frauds upon the public, while
those who opposed it contended that fraud
would be prevented by the substitute,
and that the real purpose of the Grout
Bill was to destroy the oleomargarine in
duStry Thnco who nortiono fod IN the do
bate were Messrs. Henry (Rep., Conn },
Grout (Rep., Vt.), Lamb (Dem., Va),
Davidson (Rep., Wis.,, and Tawney (Rep.,
Mimi, in favor of the bill. and Messrs.
Wadsworth (Rep., N. W, Lorimer (Rep.,
Ills.), Bailey (Rep., Kansas, Grosvenor
(Rep., Ohio), Williams (Dem, Miss)
Foster (Dem., Ills.), and Bailey (Dem.
Texas1, against it.
Mr.. Payne. chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee gave notice at the close
of the session that he would call ND the
War Revenue Reduction Act after the dis
posal of the Legislative Appropriation Bill
next week, probably on Tuesday.
CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL
Consideration of the bill began imme-
diately after reading of the journal Mr.
Henry Comm, opened the debate in it's
support. He explained the features of
the bill. The increase of the tax on col
ored imitation butter, he said, the ma
jority of the Committee on Agriculture
believed was absolutely necessary to. pro-
lect the dairy interests of the country.
The cause of the enormous amount OF
fraud and the illegal selling of oleomar-
garine, he said. was due to the great
h. II - 81,
tation because of it's absolute counterfeit
cf butter. Thirtytwo States already had
absolutely forbidden the manufacture and
sale of oleomargarine colored imitation
of butter, he said. Mr.. Henry cited fig
ures to show that including the payment
of the present internal revenue tax of
two cents the cost of manufacturing was
not more than ten cents per pound Mr.
Henry said the increase of the tax would
prevent the large profits while the reduc-
tion of the tax on oleomargarine in it's
natural color would enable those who
desired to consume it to procure it at
lower cost than heretofore.
Mr. Wadsworth IN. ", Chairman of
the Committee on Agriculture, who with
six other members of the committee
signed the minority report against the
Grout Bill said the only difference be-
tween them and the majority was that
the minority recognized the value of
Oleomargarine as a wholesome and nu-
tritious article of food and entitled to a
place as food product He cited the
testimony OF number of experts
Mr.. Wadsworth charged that the our
pose of the supporters of the Grout Pill
was to destroy the manufacture of oleo-
margarine not to regulate its value. The
bill passed by the minority he added.
would eliminate possibility of fraud. With
regard to the coloring of oleomargarine
he declared that butter itself was col
ored.
Mr.. Grout .(Va.). author of the bill. who
then took charge of the measure, de-
clared that the purpose of the bill, in
which every man, woman and child was
interested. was to suppress fraud in the
sale of food product by preventing the
coloring of oleomargarine in imitation
of butter. Over 104 600, 900 pounds of
oleomargarine had been manufactured
and sold last year. That was about ono
ninth of the butter consumed in the Uni
ted States.
Mr.. Grout produced figures to show that
oleomargarine costs less than nine cents
per round and was worked off on the
public by the retailer at from Is to so
cents per pound.
He illustrated the method of sale of
Oleomargarines.