OLEOMARGARINE. 117 



did not prepare those figures, and I do not know who did, but it 

 appears to me from an examination of both of those statements that 

 the gentlemen and those who prepared these estimates are both out of 

 the way in their estimates upon this subject. In other words, they 

 have, by a loose manner of expression, failed to state exactly what the 

 truth is and what the difference would be. It seems to me that the 

 proper statement is this: We must go for the amount of oleo oil that 

 was consumed in the manufacture of oleomargarine to the Treasury 

 statistics in order to ascertain the exact truth. That does not embrace 

 the amount of oleo oil exported, and a great deal more is used for 

 export than is used in this country. 



Mr. KNIGHT. What has this to do with the oleo oil that is exported? 



Mr. SPRINGER. Nothing, except that the use of oleo throughout the 

 world has created a demand for it, and a portion of that demand is in 

 this country. Now, if all of the caul fat in the beeves that were 

 slaughtered during the } 7 ear had been used in the manufacture of oleo- 

 margarine in this country, it would have amounted to the figures stated 

 by Mr. Swift in his circular, which are practically the ones stated in 

 the resolution and memorial of the cattlemen. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Is there anything in the Swift letter to Congress indi- 

 cating that it was not ? 



Mr. SPRINGER. I say that 1 think he was mistaken in placing it 

 upon that basis, but 1 wish to call the attention of the committee to 

 the fact that it is beyond the power of man to tell what would be the 

 loss to the cattlemen of this country by reason of the destruction of 

 oleomargarine as an article of commerce. 



Mr. HOARD. It is beyond the power of man to tell what the destruc- 

 tion to the butter industry is by this business. 



Mr. SPRINGER. You can guess at it. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Now, Judge 



Mr. SPRINGER. Let me finish. You can not tell. Why? There 

 was already created, by the amount of oleo oil used in the actual pro- 

 duction of oleomargarine in this country, a demand for 24,000,000 

 pounds of their product which would not have existed if oleomargarine 

 had not been manufactured in this country. To that much we will all 

 agree. 



Mr. HOARD. Yes. 



Mr. SPRINGER. There is that much increased demand for their stock. 



Mr. HOARD. With a corresponding destruction on the other side ? 



Mr. SPRINGER. Excuse me for one moment. There is that large 

 increase. Now, gentlemen, how can you tell what effect that increased 

 demand for the 24,000,000 pounds had upon the price of all the other 

 products of animal fats? Who can tell that? Nobody can tell. But 

 it is my opinion that the pending bill and the restrictive laws in 32 

 States in this Union will injure the cattle and hog industry to the 

 extent of many millions of dollars annually, and that injury will 

 reach the extent stated in the memorial of the National Live Stock 

 Association. 



Let me call attention to the fact that the prices of agricultural 

 products in this country are determined by a number of causes, and 

 the man who operates on the board of trade is looking even to a cold 

 snap or a little drought to see whether corn and wheat and other such 

 products will go up or down. Why? Because if the weather is good 

 and the farmers have good crops, there will be low prices; and if there 



