Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-16
MAKERS Of O[[O
WANT LAW CHANGES
Campaign Begun in Iowa and
Other States to Secure Repeal
of Stringent Laws
WANT FEDERAL TAX REMOVED
oleomarsarine o Almost LesisIated Out
of Market Sales Increase Of Late
/. Because Of High Butter Prices -
Purchasers Mix Their Own coIorins
( to Make it Appear Like Butter.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
4 Des Moines, Nov. 16.-At the next
session of congress and at the next
session Of the legislatures Of the var
'ious states there is to be a fight all
along the, line by the oleomargarine
people against the present almost pro-
hibitory laws relating to oleomargar-
inc. This fact will be brought out at
the session OF the Iowa Dairymens
Association here the coming week.
At present the oleomargarine people
are laboring under the burden OF
national law that imposes tax of 10
cents pound on every pound that is
made. Then they are iaboring under
the burden Of state laws, many OF them
like that in Iowa. that absolutely pro-
hibits any coloring matter being placed
in the oleomargarine that will make 1T
look the color Of butter. Furthermore
there are state laws, such as that In
garine is used in restaurants and ho-
tells and boarding houses there must
be displayed a placard near the table
stating that what is on the table for
butter is not butter, but substitute
tor butter.
The campaign that preceded the se-
curing Of the laws against oleomargar-
inc was somewhat strenuous and vio-
lent and meant some hard work for
the dairy and butter men. 1t was not
difficult to interest the farmers and
their wives in the matter for they
We're easily shown that when oleomar-
garine was colored and put on the
market for butter 1t was in competi-
| ton with genuine butter, but an -un-
fair. competition because the o1eomar-
garine can be manufactured much
cheaper than can butter in any event.
Oleomargarine is a packing house pro-
duct in which fat is treated so as to
make it resemble in taste and every
other respect genuine butter.
The national government was In
duced to put tax Of 10 cents pound
on oleomargarine. This handicapped
its sale in competition with butter to
the extent Of the 10 cents. Then Iowa
passed law providing that all color
ing matter must be left out The sale
of cOlored oleomargarine making 1t
resemble butter is absolutely prohibited
in Iowa. Uncolored oleomargarine is
white like lard and the consuming pub
lie having been educated to eat yellow
butter has ever been unable, when 1T
ate uncolored oleomargarine which
looks like lard, to persuade itself that
the stuff did not also taste like lard.
This has been further handicap on
the sale Of oleomargarine. This led
to the manufacturers selling a small
package Of coloring matter with every
pound Of oleomargarine, but separate
from the oleomargarine. The coloring
matter. was, in fact, given away as q
sort of premium and the consumer
was at liberty to mix in the coloring
matter. Hotels and restaurants were
prohibited from palming 1t off on their
customers, however, by being forced to
display a sign that the substitute for
butter and not the real thing was be-
ing used.
Now, however, the oleomargarine
manufacturers propose to appeal to
congress to remove the ten cents tax
per pound. If they secure this they
will make an onslaught on the legis-
lures of the country The burden Of
the argument is that the price of but
ter is getting so high, having been
kept, up now for fully Is months, that
the poor man cannot afford to eat but
ter. The cry is that the man with the
dinner pail is being forced to eat but
terless bread. The price of oleomar-
garine is somewhat fixed and station
ary. There is the cost of manufacture,
the ten cents government tax and then
profit for the manufacture. If the
government tax is removed it could
be sold just ten cents cheaper.
If the government takes off its tax
the legislature will then be asked to
change it's laws It will be pointed
out that people will not eat white but
ter. Here is where the rub will come
The dairymen fought to prohibit a
packing house product being sold for
butter when none of the ingredients
ever came from milk. They will fight
again on the same line and the oleo-
margarine men will have to take some
substitute course for the present law.
They will argue that so long as it is
not sold for genuine butter there ought
to be no objection for it is admitted
to be wholesome food. They will ask
therefore, that the state law allow the
use of coloring matter, but provide
that it shall always be sole in one, two
or five pound packages, and that the
packages be required to be labeled IN
plain large letters 'oleomargarine."
The last report of H. R. Wright. the
state food and dairy commissioner.
shows that there has been considera-
BILE increase In the amount of oleo-
margarine used in this state, in spite
of the fact that no coloring matter Is
used. 1t will be claimed by the dairy
men that the fact that Iowa makes
more than 100,0oO,0oo pounds OF but
ter each year, where ten years ago 1t
didn't make half that, has been due
to the fact that butter has fair
: