Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-12
.O|[O Jaw BO|H[RS En-
Butter Lawyers Confuse Inter.
nal Revenue Men-Keep the
Oleo People Uneasy.
Renovated and Adulterated But.
ter Badly Hit Tropical
Butter" Laid Low.
Denmark Farmers Have Secret
-
Denmark Farmers Have Secret
for Preserving Butter That
Is Of Great Value.

~ u OIS0l 0lOes
Washington, Sept. 12.-Commlssioner
Yerkes' office, which was not arranged
for that purpose, has been converted
into court room large portion Of the
time since the first of July, when the
cleo law went into effect. From Mon
day morning until Saturday night a
senting this and that creamery associ-
alton and this and that manufacturer
OF cleo flows into it.
These interests demanded to be heard
and they have been heard and are
still daily stating their cases. The COM
missioner intimated that he heard but
little during the hours Of the day but
cleo, renovated butter and adulterated
butter. Figuratively speaking he was
compelled during the warmer summer
days to take three baths daily 10 get
rid Of the oder Of cleo and renovated
butter.
And the end Is not yet. New points
are constantly being raised; new
schemes and devices invented to get
inside the law and still not meet the
requirements of the law. The agita-
ton and investigation are likely to give
the creamery man and the butter reno
vator a few more days OF anxiety be-
fore the fight is over.
Just now renovated butter and adul-
terated butter are occupying the center
of the stage. The former is supposed
to be nothing but butter, produced
from cream, the flavor of the butter
having became impaired by time, but
which thru a process of melting and
working Is converted into a fairly edi-
BILE quality of butter. Adulterated but
ter may be composed of any number Of
unknown ingredients. the least Of which
is or may be butter.
Renovated butter, so long as 1t Is all
butter, Is on all tours with gilt-edged
creamery. 1t has free access any
where. but the product marked adult
erated'-and the law makes the mark
ing compulsory-meets with obstruc.
ions at every turn. 1t is true the rem
Ovated butter must be marked as such
and the marks must remain upon the
package until the butter Is consumed,
SO long as the package remains inside
the boundaries of the United States, but
the :adulterated" article is met at every
corner by difficulties when 1t UNDER
takes to leave these shores.
The requirements of the recent act
OF congress relating to butter products
impose what the manufacturers allege
to be extreme hardships upon an article
of domestic consumption known as
tropical butter" Just how this butter
is made or what its ingI edients are is a
profound mystery which the commits
sioner himself apparently has not been
able to fathom. This tropical butter
lis produced for expectation exclusively.
1t is not used at all i'll the United
States, but is shipped to the West In
dies, South America and other warm
climates. 1t resembles butter and is
said to possess flavor similar in many
respects to butter. 1t is used in the
tropics by the poor people in soups
and very largely takes the place of
meat upon their tables. OF course it
can be sold at much lower price than
pure butter and seems to answer all
the purposes of butter so far as the
tropical people are concerned.
The law requiring that the product
shall be branded "adulterated, how
ever, seems to have sounded the death
knell Of this industry, which in sec
tons Of the country, notably in New
York, had grown to large proportions
The people OF the tropics are willing to
cat the stuff, but they draw the line at
it's being marked as "adulterated." AS
long as it has the brand butter" the
people of the torrid region eat the mix
lures with relish and enthusiasm, ask
ing not of what the component parts
may be, in fact, it is not a question OF
ingredients, but of price. However. the
denizens Of the Indies do make show
of pride and it develops when they
come in contact with package OF but
ter bearing the bald word "adulterated"
they balk at that and pass the pack
age up.
AS a result of this fastidiousness on
the part of the West Indian contingent.
who represent all the demand there Is
likely to be for this unanalyzed COM
round known as tropical butter, the
numerous concerns in the United States
n1nUIGCIuTluS
go out of business, unless the commits
sioner Of internal revenue is able to
afford them some relief. That this re-
lief will be Forthcoming is exceedingly
doubtful; the commissioner asserts
that it is not question of interpreta-
ton with his office; the law is specific
upon this point and the authorities
have no alternative but see that the
spirit and letter of the statute are COM
piled with.
Two Of the largest concerns in New
York have already shut down and are
preparing to move their plants to Can
ada. 1t is said all concerns making this
product will be forced out of the busi-
ness or to join the cleo colony on the
other side of the border.
The sudden collapse of the demand
for this tropical butter. which amount
ed to many millions Of pounds annual
~, is working a serious hardship upon
the farmers in the sections adjacent to
the concerns making the butter. The
price has declined about cents per
pound and for some reason it appears
:. 70 y = o,,;x re