The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-09-16
SALT LAKE AND
STATE NEWS
BUTTER TRUST IN
SALT LAKE CITY

Salt Lake. Sept 15.-The Tribune
this morning says:
Salt Lake City is paying for $500
worth of butter every day, which IL
doesn't get. City Food Inspector Walt
cr ]. Frazier and State Food and
Dairy Commissioner Willard Hansen
charge. In a month. this alleged
Short-wciGht amounts TO $4,000. and
in year TO the enormous sum OF
S1S0.00O the butter consumers OF the
city are being cheated out of by the
dealers, the city and state puro.food
authorities estimate.
That there is butter trust in Salt
Lake City is another charge of tho
pure-tood authorities of both CITY and
state; otherwise. the recent increase
In butter, from thirty-fiye 10 forty
cents pound. would not have been
made, but the evidence upon which
10 base a prosecution has proved
elusive so far mainly because OF the
head OF the trust. The pure-food an.
thoritieS arc looking into the matter
with a keen probe, though, and there
may be decisive developments soon.
Inc butter consumption OF Salt Lake
City monthly VIII amount to close to
halt million pounds. the food au-
thorities say. This Is 5000 900 ounces
II the pounds are full weight as re.
qulred by law, but approximately one
halt OF this supply will run only four.
teen ounces TO the pound, the food au-
thorltles say. In day this would
amount TO 1,250 pounds, and in a
month TO close to37, 500 pounds of but
ter the consumer IS paying for. but
doesn't get. AT forty cents a pound.
the current price of butter. this would
be $500 day, or $4,000 a month. the
butter consumer is being cheated out
OF. In other words, the short-weight
raises the price he is paying for but
ter 10 approximately forty-slx cents a
pound, the way the food authorities
figure IT,
Shipped From East.
The butter trust In Salt Lake City
is narrowed down 10 only two or three
wholesalers, and possibly only one
wholesaler, the food authorities
charge
The butter trust In Salt Lake CITY
Is narrowed down to only two or three
wholesalers. and possibly only one
wholesalers. the food authorities
charge. One wholesale firm alone,
they assert, takes care of almost one
half tho city's butter consumption,
bringing most of the supply for noar-
ly one-half the butter demand here In
from the east and placing 1t in cold
storage
The bringing OF butter In from the
east Is necessary for the reason that
Utah does not produce nearly enough
butter for Its own consumption. but
the small local butter producers are
In the grasp of tho trust, else the
price might not be so high, the food
authorities say. and In this control of
the small producer ls eyinced another |
of the devious ways of the butter
trust. alleged 10 exist here No matter
how remote the small producer may
be or how small may be his produc- |
tion OF milk and butter. the big whole |
saler pledges himself to take II and |
not only furnishes the small producer
With proper receptacleS for his little |
dab of milk and butter. but sends |
around after Il at regular intervals. the |
authorities declare. In this way tho |
members of the trust have gained a |
Strancle.hold on the local production |
which keeps competition at home. |
while enormous quantities of milk and |
cream are shipped from the cast and |
sold at any old price. regardless of |
quality, the food authorities declare.
Another of the devious WAYS OF the |
trust Is TO pay the producer an odd |
figure for his butter, say % cents a |
pound. The wholesaler then sells this I
10 the retailer for 80 or 80 cents a !
pound The retailer cannot sell at 30 |
cents a pound for the reason that |
there Is no profit TO speak OF at that |
figure, and tho result is that the price
goes 10 the consumer at 40 cents a
pound. The wholesaler then promptly |
sends the price 10 the retailer TO 81. |
20 or 36 cents a pound and this keeps |
butter high, the food authorities as
sert,
More Sharp Practice.
Another OF the sharp practices of |
the wholesaler is TO reduce the amount |
of butter fat For instance. 100 pounds .
OF butter fat will make l6 pounds of ,
butter. Tho wholesaler reduces the /
butter fat and this enables him TO get .
125 or 100 pounds OF butter out of 100 !
pounds OF butter fat, and the public |
suffers. the food authorities declare.
Some Of the short eight palming OF |
butter of on tho public is done with |
the cloak OF legitimacy Mr. Hauscn |
says. in that the wrapper around the .
package bears tho inscription. "Fif- !
teen ounces only" but the price re- /
mains the same. As the labelling is |
correct, the retailer OF such butter can
not hC nroaocufcd undpt. thC statc 1axy