Evening star., 1948-03-20
The Margarine Battle
Only Rising Indignation of Oleo-Mixing Housewives
Seems Likely to Bring Tax Repeal

they are most vulnerable on the matter Of tn.
nuisance caused the housewife by having tt
mix her own margarine color.
But now you can buy pound of whit.
margarine in plastic bag container, break 8
tiny capsule of liquid color which is inside
the bag, and knead the color into the marga.
rine to bring it to an acceptable yellow, al
without getting any margarine on the finger.
or using a messy mixing bowl.
The man behind this merchandising revolrl.
ton is quite young man from Chicago
named Leo Peters. He invented the containel
and owns the basic patents. He has licensed
eight margarine manufacturers to use the
patented bags and says he will license any and
all others on the same terms.
He told the committee last week he gets a
quarter-cent royalty on each pound of marga-
rine sold in the new package. AS one COM
mittee member commented, that amt hay"
Through all the arguments last week, the
House Agriculture Committee mem b e r s
wrangled among themselves over who was OBJ
structing the other side by endless interroga-
tion of witnesses. Both sides wasted consider
able time this way despite Chairman Hope,
who made what appeared to observers to be
an earnest effort to run the hearings i'm
partially
Slim Chance Remains for Bill.
Defeated in the House Committee tax re-
peal advocates tried on Thursday to attach a
rider to the income tax reduction bill on the
Senate floor. Two roll calls were defeated,
each by 80 to As vote Senator Milikin, the
Colorado Republican who is plotting the tax
measure, told Senators they could vote against
the margarine amendments without passing
judgment on the issues in the butter-marga-
rine fight They would simply be voting to
keep the tax bill free Of what he called "scat-
terization" amendments.
One chance remains In the Housekeeping
a repeal bill to the House floor over the Agri-
culture Committees opposition. This requires
21s signatures, a majority of the entire House
membership Up to today just over 80 men,
bers have signed
Much of the argument over the margarine
tax reflects the division-old as the Republic
itself-of interests between urban and rural
sections Of America.
Long ago the dairy interests wrote into
House rules a provision that any bill having
to do with oeomargarine must be considered
by the Agriculture Committee. Any other bill
having to do with taxes is considered by the
Ways and Means Committee
The dairymen knew that the Agriculture
Committee would always be made up of repre-
sentatives from rural areas. Such Congressman
are not much impressed by those who speak
for the millions of Americans who live in the
cities and buy the bulk Of the butter and
margarine.
A House resolution which would end this
anachronism was introduced on Thursday by
Representative Keating, a Republican whose
district includes the city of Rochester, N. Y,
But such resolution will have to top the
difficult hurdle Of the Rules Committee, and
win House floor vote
One city Congressman spoke up for the
margarine repeal bills last week in words that
could be prophetic. He was Representative
Buck, Republican whose district includes
lower Manhattan in New York City. One of
three Republicans with city districts who
appeared before the committee to back tax
repeal, Mr.. Buck suggested that the Agricul-
ture Committee members think about next
fall He referred to the November elections.
will the housewives be thanking their Con-
gressmen," he asked, "for the extra leisure or
damning them with every stroke Of their mar
oarine sr.oo,o1