OLEOMARGARINE. 



87 



possible exception of the coloring matter, the use of which is infini- 

 tesimal in both cases. 



"The resolution under which this committee was appointed does not 

 authorize investigation except: 



4 ' First. What food is sold that is deleterious to the public health ; and, 



"Second. What food is sold in fraud to the consumer. 



"The committee finds from the evidence before it that the product 

 known commercially as oleomargarine is healthful and nutritious, and 

 that no additional legislation is necessary." 



There is no minority report of the Committee on Manufactures upon 

 the pure-food bill, so called. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Judge Springer, may I interrupt you for a moment? 



Mr. SPRINGER. Yes, sir. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Senator Hansbrough will probably recall the fact that 

 Senator Mason made a statement on the floor of the Senate toward the 

 latter part of the last session that subsequent developments have con- 

 vinced him that he was mistaken in the premises. That is now a mat- 

 ter of record in the Congressional Record. He said it had developed 

 that there was a great deal of fraud in oleomargarine that he did not 

 know about, and he had changed his conclusions as to that matter. 

 That you will find in the Congressional Record, and I will attempt to 

 look it up. 



Mr. SPRINGER. Senator Mason is a Senator, and when this matter 

 comes before the Senate he will have an opportunity of stating whether 

 he retracts any part of the official report he has made, and it will^rest 

 on his statement. 



Mr. KNIGHT. I simply desire to call attention to that fact. 



Mr. SPRINGER. I have collected some statistics in .reference to oleo- 

 margarine, which will be of interest to the committee and to all others 

 who desire to be thoroughly imformed on the subject. 



PRODUCTION OF OLEOMARGARINE. 



The report of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the fiscal 

 year ending June 30, 1900, shows that the production of oleomargarine 

 for that year was 107,045,028 pounds, and that the tax of 2 cents a 

 pound paid to the Government thereon amounted to $2,543,785.18. 



The following table of production and total receipts from all oleo- 

 margarine sources for each fiscal year since November 1, 1886, the date 

 the oleomargarine law took efi'ect, is interesting as showing the extent 

 of operations in the country: 



