The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-20
The auhta laiu eagles Thursday oro September 20

/ pounds of leaf lard which forms the
neutral OIL The market price today for
| caul fat for oleomargarine purposes is
| 10 cents per pound, while tallow is worth
s cents; leaf fat is worth, for oleomarga-
rine purposes. 1-2 cents per pound, and
| for lard, s cents There were slaughter
| ed at Kansas City from January /. 1899
to January /, 1900. ss1, 7SS head of cattle,
| producing 1855, $50 pounds of oiio oil,
worth today 10 cents per pound, a total
value Of 1855 Were it not for the
demand the manufacture of oIeomarga-
rine has created for ofio oil this product
would have been sold for tallow, which
Is worth cents per pound, netting for
the above production s2.975. 349, a differ
encof 81. 9SS, SOS, or 81 less TO the cattle
raiser for each steer slaughtered There
were slaughtered at Kansas City during
the period mentioned above 2,70o, Joe hogs,
producing 21,6so,s73 pounds OF neutral
lard worth today s 1-2 cents per pound,
a total value of s., S3s,074
''The demand for neutral lard as an
oleomargarine ingredient removed, this
product would have been sold for lard at
cents per pound, a total value of
Sl,2ss.052, a difference of s540,022, or %
slaughtered Thus it can readily be seen
from the above figures that had the
oleomargarine factories been closed jan
uary !, 1899, it would have cost the cat
tie and hog raisers marketing their stock
at Kansas City for the year 1899 the sum
of s2,523,5SS. And this amount does not
by any means represent what the total
loss would have been, for If all the cleo
oil and leaf fat used in this country for
oelomargarine purposes were to be used
as common tallow and lard, and for soap
making purposes, it would make an over
supply Of those commodities, thereby re-
ducing the market price from to cents
per pound, but that is a matter upon
which no reliable data can be given.
Have we not a right, therefore to step
in and file our protest against so unjust
a measure?
But someone may say, that presents
condition entirely local Then let US
step up to higher ground and take a
broader view. The government report
shows that on January I, 1900 there were
in the United States "a, 9o2, 4l4 head of cat
tie, of which IS 292, $50 were mich cows;
and of cattle other than mich cows,
27,610O54. By the enactment Of laws pro-
hibiting the use of oleomargarine each
head Of those cattle other than mich
cows would have depreciation in value,
as shown above, of 81 a head, or total
Of S55,220, 10S. Again, the government re-
port showed that on January 1, 1SS9-no
estimate being made by the government
for the year 1893, it having been decided
to await the census enumeration in June
7z.,E l. g
bers were approximately the same Janu-
airy l, 1899. and January 1, 1910-there were
in the United States 3S,6 ,s31 hogs If the
leaf lard of the hogs of the United States
had to be used for lard by the death of
oleomargarine it would mean a depreci-
alton in value of 20 cents per head a
total of s7,730,326. Thus it will be seen If
these measures become laws, at that in
slant $50, 950.434 will be taken directly
from the farmers and stockraisers of the
country. To that could be added the
vast sums invested in manufacturing
plants and the loss in wages to an army
of laborers. but that is a field outside of
my domain"
It will thus be seen that while those
interested in creameries In this district
would be greatly benefited by the pass
age of the Grout bill the farmers of the
district, who raise hogs and cattle, would
be greatly injured. That it would benefit
the creameries no one questions, but how
much benefit would accrue to the farmers
who sell milk to creameries, or what adj
vance would be paid them for milk if the
Grout bill becomes a law, has not been
definitely determined. If there were no
general objections to the bill 1 could not
support it, on account of the injury that
would result to the hog and cattle rails
ers of this district
The creamery proprietors insist that
oleomargarine is selling as butter and
that 1t is a business that is fraudulently
conducted in that the present law does
not prevent the manufacture of oleomar-
garine from placing his product on the
market in direct competition with but
ter and that it is impossible to determine
the difference between oleomargarine and
butter in appearance
DR.. Wiley, chief chemist OF the depart
ment of agriculture. in his testimony be-
fore the committee, said: You can get
uncolored butter in New York; you can
go and get II at Delmonico's and some
other high-priced restaurants: and the
fact that the uncolored butter brings the
highest price in the market ought to be
an object lesson to our dairymen that
they are standing in their own light
when they color their butter. Now. if
they would let the manufacturers color
oleomargarine, and would keep butter At
It's natural color there would be no diff
Guilty in discriminating between the two"
It will thus be seen that the reason
that oleomargarine and butter are so
similar is that the same coloring matter
is used in both. The manufa cturers Of
creamery butter want to have the prfvi-
lege TO continue TO color their product
and want TO prohibit the manufacturers
Of oleomargarine from coloring their pro-
duct. I do not believe that Is right, and
I cannot support such a bill
am willing to support any bill that
will compel the manufacturers Of oleo-
margarine 10 place it on the market as
oleomargarine and not as butter. I be-
lleve In legislation that will prohibit
fraud in food products.
The commissioner OF internal revenue
nj his testimony before the committee
recommends change in the present law
requiring that each and every brick.
print. roll or lump Of oleomargarine
should have the word 'oleomargarine-
stamped upon II in sunken letters, and
such a bill was reported BY seven mem
bers OF the committee On agriculture as
a substitute for the Grout bill. which
was reported By ten members, constltut-
Ing a majority. I favor the bill report
ed by the minority. or any other bill tina.
VIII compel the sale OF oleonarzsrine as
oleorlargariue. but II the manufactures
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