90 



OLEOMARGARINE. 



According to the population of 1890 the States which have prohibited 

 the sale of colored oleomargarine contained a population of 50,117,440, 

 while the States and Territories whose laws permit such sale, merely 

 requiring that the oleomargarine be branded, marked, or labeled so as 

 to distinguish it, contained a population of only 12,604,790. The Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, with 230,392 population in 1890, is embraced in the 

 latter list. 



According to the population of 1900 the States which have prohibited 

 the sale of colored oleomargarine contained a population of about 

 60,000,000, while the thirteen other States contained a population of 

 14,671,001. 



QUANTITY CONSUMED IN EACH STATE. 



The Secretary of the Treasury has furnished a statement of the quan- 

 tity of oleomargarine shipped into the several States and Territories, 

 and probably consumed therein, during the tiscal year ending June 30, 

 1899. A table showing similar information for the }^ear ending June 

 30, 1900, could not be prepared in time to be of use to this committee 

 during the consideration of the pending bill. 



I have marked a dash before the States in which laws have been 

 passed prohibiting the sale of oleomargarine colored in imitation of 

 butter. The number of the dealers in each State is given, and the per- 

 centage of the whole product consumed in each State. The table is as 

 follows: 



Quantity of oleomargarine shipped into each State for fiscal year ended June 30, 1899. 



The information contained in this statement is valuable and instruct- 

 ive. It shows the effect upon the consumption of oleomargarine which 

 is produced by State legislation. In Rhode Island, having a population 

 of 428,556 by the census of 1900, the consumption of oleomargarine 

 for the year ending June 30, 1899, was 3,594,984 pounds. This 

 amounted to over 8 pounds per capita. 



