White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-01-08
FARM WRITER URGES INCREASE OF IT, S.
TAX ON UNCOLORED OLEOMARGARINE

TAX ON UNCOL
I wonder if the dairyman and the
farmers and others interested in the
agricultural prosperity of the West
are awake to the need of continuing
the fight to protect the dairy industry
from the unfair competition of oleo.
margarine, writes j. e.. Nessly in the
Washington Farmer.
wonder if these people, whose
prosperity is dependent upon the
dairy COW, are awake to the fact that
the powerful interests that are fat
tening off of the manufacture and
sale of oleomargarine in competition
with butter, are working all Of the
time to get firmer hold on the
butter market and to secure legisla-
tion favorable to the increased pro-
duction, sale and consumption of this
counterfeit of butter?
I recently learned that the oleomar-
Sgarine interests that succeeded in
tefeating legislation to protect dairy
g in so many states, including Ida
Washington and Oregon, has sue
eded in getting the National Asso-
alton of ltetail Grocers to pass a
issolution demanding that all taxes
je removed from oleomargarine and
That it be permitted to be sold in the
jopen market in competition with but
Iter, with no tax or other restrictions,
and that the tax of 10 cents a pound
for colored oleomargarine be re-
moved.
Gets Tip
got a. "tip' that such resolution
had been passed by the National AS
ISOLATION Of Retail Grocers and /
wrote to H.. c. Balsiger, secretary
of the association, whose headquar-
tiers are Kansas City, and requested
a copy. of the resolution, which he
sent. to me.
wrote to A. M. LOOMS, secretary
of the National Dairy Association, at
Washington, D. c. and Informed him
of what had learned. Mr.. Loomis
was surprised to get this information,
as he had heard nothing of it.
So quietly has this work of secur-
ing Endorsement for the contemplated
onslaught on the dairy industry
through congress been carried on that
the press had not learned it.
Mr.. LOOMS replied that "this is
only another indication of the I'M
ceasing activity of the oleo interests
and ought to put every friend of the
dairy industry on his guard"
What Would 1t Mean
wonder if the dairy interests re-
alize. what such move, if successful
ly carried out, would mean to the
dairy industry? 1t would mean that
the United States would be flooded
with cheap imitation of butter, made
to the dairy industry? 1t would
mean that the United States would
be flooded with a cheap imitation Of
butter, made from cocoanut oil, i'm
ported duty free from the Philippine
islands, where it has been shown it
can be manufactured, placed in car
tons and sold at retail for 13 cents a
pound, and manufacturer, wholesaler
and retailer would makega handsome
profit. That would mean the death
knell of the dairy industry provided
people would buy and eat this stuff.
Those who have seen oleomarga-
rine know that it is white as lard
and would not be eaten if placed on
the table in that condition.
The federal government provides
tax of 10 cents a pound for colored
oleomargarine, while uncolored mar
garine is taxed at n Of 1 cent a
pound, a differential of 9A cents a
pound between colored and uncolored.
AS stated above, the stuff would not
be eaten to any considerable. extent
if it were placed on the table in its
uncolored state
So, to avoid payment of the tax on
colored oleomargarines and yet sell the
stuff, little piece Of coloring, that
can be mixed with the snow white
stance and give it the color of butter,
is placed in a small envelope, on the
outside of which directions for mixing
it are printed, and, this is given" to
the purchaser Of a pound of oleomar-
garine.
2f7,246,3 Pounds Sold
1 wonder if anyone has taken the
arouble to Figure up" what this
scheme has cost the government Of
the United States? / have. And the
figures are startling, astounding, and
shocking. et
The manufacturers Of this vast
amount of counterfeit butter "beat
the government of the United States
out of 9s4 cents a pound on every
pound Of this vast amount and the
total amount Of which the wovern-
ment was defrauded by this simple
trick Of selling the stuff and giving
the coloring, totals the vast sum of
n A n n NIL, ~