Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-05
CUTS oLEoMARoARINE TAX.
Bill to Make It Four Instead of Ten
Cents Prepared.

| washington. Dec. 4.-Members of tn,
| Ways and Means Committee now ir
| Washington say Chairman Payne ha,
| in his possession a bill prepared b,
Representative Boutell of Chicago
which provides for a uniform tax Of
four cents a pound on all oleomar.
| garine. This reduction from the pro
| hibitive tax Of 10 cents pound now II
force would. it is declared. revive tn,
industry and materially increase in
| ternal revenue receipts.
| AS the committee mas not met, ne
formal action has been taken. but thai
| a majority of its members favor tn,
proposed modification of the law is
| known. and favorable report may
be expected. unless premature agita-
ton SO arouses public sentiment as tC
cause a pOstpOnement of such action
The agricultural and dairy interests OF
the country are sOlidly lined w
against any proposition that would
again permit oleomargarine to enter
into competition with butter. and they
are satisfied that with a tax of 10 cents
a pound on the colored product nc
serious danger to their industry need
be feared. That they will use every
legitimate effort to defeat such legis-
Ia ton is acknowledged. and. while the
strength that they may develop on the
floor of the House in the event of d IA
vorable report by the committee is
somewhat problematical, it is known
to he formidable and possibly sufficient
to prevent any change in the existing
law.
PnnrnCA 0,lu Of ncx.1
vania, a member of the committee. is
opposed 10 the proposition. and he init
mated that he would fight it when II is
taken up for consideration. He repre-
seats a state where an especially
strong effort has been made recently
to pledge members of Congress against
any reduction of the tax. This work
was taken up in various sections of
the country where the farming and
dairy interests are large. but how
much has been accomplished can be
ascertained only when a vote is taken.
Secretary Wilson is against the pro-
posed reduction of the tax on oleomar-
garne. and when informed on a rccen:
visit to the West that such an attempt
was to be made declared that such a
modification could not be put, through
Congress. The secretary is emphatic
in his declaration that the object of
the demand is to reduce the tax so that
an imitation of butter which will de-
ceive the public can be made and sold
at good profit. He points out that
any one can now make and sell UNI
cOlored oleomargarine by paying a tax
of only one-quarter Of cent pound.
and assumes that the object of arti-
fetal coloring is merely to make the
product look like butter for the pur-
pose of selling it for butter.
A serious question confronting the
Ways and Means Committee is that OF
the practical annihilation of the cleo
margarine industry by the imposition
of the 10 cent tax and the correspond
ing decrease in the revenue. Com
missioner Yerkes in his annual report
shows that in the fiscal year which
ended June 90. 1902 the last year the
original law was in operation, there
were produced and tax was paid on
123, 131,14S pounds of oleomargarine.
bringing in a total reevnue of $2.462.-
635. In the last fiscal year there were
produced and tax was paid on 4S07l,-
400 pounds of oleomargarine. on which
a total tax of s279, 991 was collected.