56TH CONGRESS, ) SENATE. ( REPORT 



U Session. j I No. 2043. 



OLEOMARGARINE AND OTHER IMITATION DAIRY 

 PRODUCTS, ETC. 



JANUARY 26, 1901. Ordered to be printed. 



Mr. PROCTOR, from the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry 

 submitted the following 



REPORT, WITH THE VIEWS OF THE MINORITY. 



[To accompany H. R. 3717.] 



The Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, to whom was referred 

 House bill 3717, known as the Grout bill, and entitled "An act to make 

 oleomargarine and other imitation dairy products subject to the laws 

 of the State or Territory into which they are transported, and to 

 change the tax on oleomargarine," begs leave to submit the following 

 report and recommend the passage of the bill: 



This bill proposes to increase the tax on oleomargarine colored in 

 semblance of butter and reduce that not colored in imitation of butter 

 to the mere nominal sum of a quarter of a cent a pound, the purpose 

 being to encourage the sale of the genuine article, and to discourage 

 the sale of the imitation article and to protect the honest producer, 

 dealer, and consumer of both butter and oleomargarine. 



So far as the identification of the commodity to the wholesaler is con- 

 cerned, the law of 1886 has been successful. So far as the identifica- 

 tion of the commodity to the consumer is concerned, the law of 1886 

 is of little value, the evidence being that a very large proportion of the 

 oleomargarine manufactured goes to the consumer finally as butter, 

 either as a purchaser of the retailer or as a guest at a hotel, restaurant, 

 or boarding house. 



Your committee, realizing the importance of the questions involved 

 in the bill, has inquired very carefully and exhaustively into the exist- 

 ing conditions, as shown by the report of the testimony before the 

 committee, which occupies 580 pages, the taking of which was begun 

 December 19 last and occupied the attention of your committee much 

 of the time from that date to and including 1 - Januarv 16. Your commit- 



