Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-12
MAKERS OF ice
CREAM KICK AT
RESTRICTIONS
Proper Labelling of
Adulterated Pro-
duct Sought
'Homogenized" Dish Should Be
So Designated Proponents
COntentiOn-General Stand
ard Fixed at IA Per Cent.
Butter Fat-Opponents Be-
lieve Would Hurt Sale

irgs Of the week was that of Friday
afternoon before the committee on
judiciary in which the purity of our
esteemed friend, Ice Cream, was dis
cussed at length and many points
brought out that should result in bet
ter ice cream and no letting up in
it's consumption. The committee be-
ing the only one in session, large
crowd was present, including several
women. The other matters were al
so heard at length, with many inter-
ested.
The Ice Cream Bill
A. M. G. Soule, chief of the Division
of Inspection, Department of Agri-
culture, said he appeared by invita-
ton of the sponsor of the bill to Sc
cure the purity of ice cream offered
for sale and to explain the present
laws regarding it,. as well as to tell
of the manufacture and contents of
.the article.
The department recognizes as well
as other pure food officials in Maine,
that ice cream is very likely to be
adulterated and the people are great
~ dependent for a pure article upon
the laws governing it's manufacture
and sale. The general standard for
ice cream is IA per cent. butter fat.
within the past five years especial
ly. there has been a great demand
Il IT,. Nd
in order to meet this demand a new
product, known IS homogenized ice
cream has been placed upon the mar
ket, and this homogenized ice cream
is sold in competition with se-called
regular ice cream.
1--WE do not ask that the sale of no.
mogeniZed ice cream be stopped"
continued Mr.. Soule, but that any
one who sells it shall have marked
what it is. Homogenized ice cream
consists of butter fat mixed with
SKINNED milk.
1--WE regard the sale of homogen-
lied ice cream as unreasonable and
unfair to the consumer as well as to
the person who makes real ice
cream"
Miss Mabel Common of Augusta
spoke briefly in favor of the BILL
stating that for the past few years.
it has been a great deal cheaper to
buy ice cream than to make it at
home She thought that the provi
sions of this bill would protect the
buyer and the consumer of ice cream.
Ralph w. Crockett of Lewiston
conducted the opposition to the act.
He represented four wholesale ice
cream manufacturers and distributors
Attorney Crockett said that there is
no statute regulating the amount of
butter fat to be used in ice cream,
but there is a regulation of the de-
'partment of agriculture that IA per
cent. of butter fat must be used. New
York has law permitting eight per
cent of butter fat while Maine re-
quires a larger percentage Of butter
fat than any State in the Union.
This bill prevents the sale of no.
mogepized milk products unless the
purchaser is told by the dealer that
it is a milk product" said Attorney
Crockett, land where the product is
sold signs must be displayed not that
the dealer is selling ice cream but
that he is selling the frozen milk
product.
my clients feel that the proponents
do not understand the situation"
continued Attorney Crockett.
''The four concerns I represent
manufacture during the season of say
five months, 10000 to 10000 gallons of
ice cream daily, in fact, they manu-
facture 80 per cent. of the ice cream
in the State. Ice cream is no longel
a luxury, but it is now considered as
common food. In the summer time
it is impossible at certain periods tt
secure enough sweet cream to suppl
the demand. If in the summer tim
there should happen to be four or five
cold days in succession, the sweet
cream would spoil on the hands of
the manufacturer Ice cream will
keep better when it is homogenized
and a superior ice cream is produced
by the. homogenizing process. No
other state has a law like this one
proposed"
Corporation Taxes Collection
Assistant Attorney General Fred F..
Lawrence and Secretary Of State
Frank w. Ball appeared for the act
to facilitate the collection Of fran
chise taxes of corporations organized
under the general laws. which is de-
signed to consolidate the law and
have all fees paid to the Secretary Of
State, they now being paid in three
offices, the secretary of State, the. at
torney general and the State treasu
rer. The first and second are IS each
and the third according to the
amount Of the capital stock.
Mr.. Lawrence went through the
proposed law in detail and Secretary
Rail touched on the points immedf.