The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-28
A PATERNAL aoVERNMENT.

The ruling regarding certain coh-
stituents of oleomargarine, just promul-
gated by r. z. Cabell. commissioner OF
internal revenue has in Il the ring or
fairness. as well as decided economic
value 10 the wage Garner. From the
latter point of view IL is bodybiow 70
the high prices of the butter trust, and
will make a horizontal cut of 10 cents
pound in butter from prices that
otherwise prevail.
Heretofore when the product known
as oleomargarine has been compounded
with ingredients such as peanut oil or
other food substances which gave II
butter-colored appearance, such COM
pounding has been classed as coloring,
and the product has been taxed 10
cents a pound, under the internal rev.
enue laws.
BY the new ruling, wherever the
quantity of these coloring oils is suf-
fcient to be regarded as constituent
parts of the oleomargarine, this tax
viii not be collected. AS in practically
all good colored OIeomargarine these
oils are sufficient to come within the
ruling, apart from their eoloring value,
it is a matter of sequence that the tax
IS not collectible
The imposition of the 10 cents
pound tax on oleomargarine that looked
like first-cIass butter was secured by
the dairy trusts of the eastern and
middle states, and for years has been
sufficient to enable those trusts prac-
tically to fix the price at which butter
was sold in all the large centers of
population in the United States; it was
10 cents a pound bounty. which, how
ever, unnecessary to the fostering Of
the dairy Industry, was exacted by the
eastern dairy associations. Its original
imposition was secured by those asso-
Citations representing that colored oleo-
margarine must of necessity contain
matter deleterious TO food.
This theory has been exploded long
since: and under the restrictions Of the
pure food law il is known that oleo-
margarine, including it's cOlored con-
stituents, is quite as clean and pure as
ordinary fresh butter. and much better
than the seconds" of any creamery
product Owing to this fact, and the
further item OF cheapness in produc-
ton. 1t has become an invaluable food
for the working classes. who could not
afford fantastic prices.
Hereafter, the eastern butter trust
must reckon with colored oleomarga-
rine on a basis of merit, and fix It's but
ter prices at 10 cents less than the for
mer basis; for ali of which the butter
consumer will be thankful and the oleo
maker viii feel that he now has a field
for fair ard beneficial competition.
Connected with the long warfare be-
tween the dairy trust and the manu-
facturers of oleomargarine. there is
+ considera BILE interest in the item which
those manufacturers were able to have
inserted in the revenue law. against
the bitter protest Of the dairymen. This
was that butter containing more than
1s per cent OF moisture should he re-
garded as adulterated, and also be sub
ject to a tax OF 10 cents a pound For
tunately for the public. the commits
sioner's ruling does not modify the re-
quirement. It's great necessity is OBJ
vious In The fact that government tests
have demonstrated that in some places
creameries were sending out butter
containing Sc per cent. or over one
half, of moisture.
Utah butter consumers have not es-
capped the imposition, for creamery
products in Salt Lake have been found
to contain all the way from 10 TO 81 per
cent of moisture. and people thus have
been compelled TO pay butter prices for
large quantities OF water injected into
the product. Sixteen per cent Of mois-
ture, the standard fixed by the govern
ment as the line of adulteration is am
pie; indeed. good butter really has APP
proximately IS per cent moisture only.
BY the rigid enforcement, particular
" during the past two years, of the
provision relating to the adulteration
CT butter. the internal revenue depart
ment has compelled the serving to the
consumer of a vastly improved quality
OF butter: now the same division of the
government comes to the further relief
of the public by sweeping away 10
cents pound in the price Of a very
important article Of diet
As We all are grateful for small ia
vors. so the public viii be doubiy
thankful for this great boon Of elimi-
mating a large proportion OF the cost
Of putting on the market an extensive
" used food product. and preventing
like exorbitant charge on another of
the great staples Of life
PROSPERITY INDICATIONS.