Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-08-14
The Fight On
Vegetable Oils

We have in this country very
clear and effective pure-food
laws, which are one of the great
est projections our people have
ever had through Legislative en-
actment.
These national pure-food laws
make it unlawful for manu-
facturer to use a substitute or
a preservative unless such sub
stitution or preservative is sPe-
officially mentioned on the label
Of the container.
That protection is sufficient,
and yet the use of vegetable oils,
as food, is seriously threaten
ed in certain states, according to
the Peanut Journal, published at
Suffolk, Va, from which we
quote the following editorial:
"Laws of the States of Oregon
and Washington were enacted m
1923 prohibiting the use of vege-
table oils in oleomar2arine. Those
laws in part are as follows:
sit shall be unlawful for any
Derson or corporation to manu-
facture for sale, sell or exchange,
or expose or offer for sale or eX-
change, any substance contain
ing any milk or milk products,
and designed or intended to be
used, or capable of being used,
for or as a substitute for butter,
which contains any vegetable fat
"The operation of this law has
been stopped by means Of the
referendum in those States.
Enough signatures of voters have
been obtained to have the ques-
ton submitted to a vote of the
people at the general election
next November. 1t is hoped to
kill the laws by such a vote.
cit is needless to say the as
sistance of everybody interested
in vegetable oil IS needed Not
only their moral support but their
financial support.
1.-THE law in these two States
against vegetable oils is just a
started. Similar legislation in
numerous States viii probably be
attempted next winter. When the
dairy people shall have accom- pljsh-
ed its purpose in this particular
direction, they may then be ready
to launch their fight against the
use of vegetable oils as shorten
ing agents because they COM
pete with animal fats. Their
strength in legislative affairs
should not be underestimate.
at would seem that every oil
miller in this country should get
in touch with his chamber of com-
merce and urge him to get i'm
touch with the chamber of com
merce in Washington and Ore
gon with vigorous protest
against this sort of boycott
against the consumption of Wash
ington and Oregon products in
the vegetable oil producing Sec
tons. If the whole South were to
stop eating Yakima apples, can
ned salmon canned milk, and
other canned vegetable products
from those two States, it would
cut quite a hole in their mar
ket for such products.
do not consider this thing
lightly. Every governor of every
State in which vegetable oils are
produced for food should use the
full power of his office in pro-
testing against such an un-Ameri-
can practice as this. The propa-
ganda put out by the dairy indus
try is damaging to vegetbale oils.
They declare that such oils are
injurious to the public health
and that they really constitute
menace to the public health of
this country. This goes on not
withstanding the fact that, there
has never been a public health
agency in this or in any foreign
country that has ever made any
such a declaration. 1t would
seem that every oil miller could
induce every local citizen inter-
ested in maintenance of Southern
prosperity to interest himself in
4 this fight to protect the markets
for one of her principal prod
ucts."
There's no legitimate reason
why the dairy industry of tn,
East or West should launch +;
fight on the South's peanuts.
Pure food experts and dietic
ians have pronounced the pea
nut for instance, as being higl
in food values; it is recommend
ed as an ideal in food in man,
cases.
Under the pure food laws,
oleomargarine must be sold AS
OEEQMARGARINE-it cannot
be sold as butter. If it were in