The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-08
A MISTAKE OF CONGRESS
Passed a Law Through Lack Of Know
ledge That Has Fostered the Pro-
duction Of oIeomargarine
and Butterlne.

fective In Its operation, has turned out
to be highly beneficial to the
manufacturers OF tho adulterated food.
Strange as 1t may seem, the congress
sional statute. which went into effect a
ed to make an end of the production Of
butterlne. Is the very thing which has
now resulted in a more extensive and
profitable manufacture Of it than ever
before.
Incident to this state OF affairs, country
butter, the product OF the farms OF Vir-
ginia, Tennessee and West Virginia, is
a glut on the market and Is being sold,
IL sold at all. at a disadvantage. The
Richmond trade is distinctly demoralized
and In the large majority of cases pro-
duce mon are over-stocked with stuff
which 1t is simply impossible to move.
when the retailers are handling butter
inc. which sells SO much cheaper. Upon
the adoption OF the new oleo. law sew
eral local SPECTATORS laid in large sup.
pl,es of pure butter, expecting a firm
winter market. The loss to them will
be heavy. 1t Is estimated that there
are in cold storage here as much as 3d.
e00 pounds of butter. which are a dead
weight and which will have to be dis
posed OF at the loss OF several cents
on the pound.
LAWS ON THE SUBJECT.
Before the last act OF Congress the law
governing the production and sale of
oleomargarlne provided that manufac-
turefs should pay q tax of something
like cents per pound for the privil-
eye of coloring their ware to make it
look like real butter. They paid the
tax and put the cleo. on the market
and sold 1t considerably under the price
Of pure butter. The manufacturers dealt
directly with the retailers and did not
employ commission men. The retailers
had to pay a license Of AS in order to
sell.
Now comes along the new law. 1t
was thought that oleomargarine without
coloring would present a dirty, unhealthy
looking hue. which would drive it Off
the market. and hence manufacturers
were Informed that for la cent per
pound they could continue to put 1t out,
provided they didn't use coloring. II
they wished to do tho latter they would
have to pay 10 cents per pound-a tax
practically prohbitory, for the cost OF
production of oleomargartne would then
necesstate a selling price equal or above
that of butter. Produce men were jub-
liant and looked to the winter for a big
butter trade. with butterine out of the
way AS Indicated. several local mer-
chants, by way of specializing, bought
up lot of country butter-probably Co.
900 pounds-and put it away on cold stor-
age until they could bring it out and sell
it at the fancy figures expected to pre-
vail.
But results altogether change the aspect
OF the situation. Oleomargarine, without
:ccloring, In its natural state, does not
present dirty and notwithstanding hue.
Instead of that it Is just the opposite.
The rolls are light cream and are almost
indistnguishable from country butter
Tile manufacturers began to turn 1t out
In larger quantities than ever. because the
new law was really the best thing they
had ever gotten. They had to pay but
one-quarter Of a cent per pound tax,
whereas under the old law. when they
colered the stuff. two cents was required
of them. Moreover, retailers who wanted
to sell uncolored oleonargarine Expected
to be unsightly) could get a license for IS.
HAS THE FIELD.
A month or two ago. when real butter
was rather high and scarce. and, there
fore. wasn't selling in large quantities.
numbers OF retail men took out licenses
and have since been selling uncolored but
crime. which they get directly from the
manufacturers. and not through commits
sion men. and which goes to the consumer
at considerably less than he has to pay
for the genuine article. To-day this state
of affairs is more marked than ever. and
hence the Generalization on the market.
Pure Virginia and Tennessee butter is
coming In. but 1t won't sell at eighteen
and twenty cents wholesale when butter,
ire is going at cheaper than that retail.
Commission merchants are overstocked
Eond the trade Is slutted.
Butterine Is having its Inning and Is
ful1v npfoyin1 the macmillan effapt n the
law. A conservative estimate made yes
-terday by well known commission mer-,
chant fixes the amount Of butterlne used
here to-day at eighty per cent. of the
entire consumption in Richn ond. Produce
men are clear out of it. and farmers can.
Virginia butter. when 1t is sold at all,
have dropped from eighteen and twenty
cents to twelve and q half and fifteen
cents. One merchant sold $500 pounds In
one lot yesterday at twelve and a half
cents.
WHAT MR.. EVANS SAYS.
When questioned yesterday about the
matter, Mr.. L. w. Evans. of the firm of
Evans and Company. gave the facts de-
tailed above. The fact that butterine "a
adulterated and hence not considered
wholesome or healthful Is. according to
Mr., Evans. the chief objection to 1t. Apart
from this 1t Is Just as good as country
butter.
"rhe butter market" he added in con-
cluson. us in worse condition than 1
ever saw 1t. Everybody Is ovarstoclsed
and nobody can move his stuff It simply
won't sell. Butterine has the field, ccr-
tainly eighty or ninety per cent of 1t.
] have reason to- believe that there are
in. cold storage here $1,000 pounds of real
butter which will have to be sold at a
big loss, all because the law turned out
to be Just the opposite from what we
expected 1t to be-
Vlrginians Here.