OLEOMARGARINE. 175 



interests of the dairy industry at heart, you would not know anything 

 about oleo in the dairy interest. I have proveii that by my figures. 

 You would never think of it. Every year our butter interests are 

 growing, and we are making more money, and it is a better profit on 

 our speculation or on our investment. Consequently I say let well 

 alone. Do not wipe it out. 



Mr. HOARD. Do you say that the average wholesale prices of butter 

 have been increasing for a number of } r ears? 



Mr. LESTRADE. I say that the lowest prices in the spring have been 

 gradually working up on a higher level for the last five years. 



Mr. HOARD. Have the average prices of butter for the whole year 

 been increasing for, say, five or six years? 



Mr. LESTRADE. Yes; they have been increasing. 



Mr. HOARD. Have they ? 



Mr. LESTRADE. Yes. If you will allow me, Mr. Chairman, I will 

 read from a report that I happened to pick up yesterday in my office 

 just before starting. This is a report from Mr. Kracke, of New York, 

 the associate of the gentleman who spoke this morning. Mr. Kracke 

 is your associate, is he not ? 



Mr. FLANDERS. Yes, sir. 



Mr. LESTRADE. This report is as follows: 



"BUTTER TRADE OF 1900 RECEIPTS SHOW A GAIN OF NEARLY 48,000 



PACKAGES FOR THE YEAR LARGE FALLING OFF IN EXPORTS- 

 HOME CONSUMPTIVE DEMAND VERY LARGE, WHICH GIVES A HIGHER 

 AVERAGE PRICE FOR NEARLY ALL DESCRIPTIONS. 



"Not for many years, if ever, has the butter trade of the country 

 seen just such conditions as we have had during the year 1900, and 

 while many of the dealers and speculative operators will have no 

 regret that the year has closed, because 'of the small margins they 

 have had, the producers of butter will find much of encouragement 

 and satisfaction in the larger consumptive demand and better average 

 prices realized. 



"The product of the country has been larger; how much it is impos- 

 sible to say. New York's receipts show an increase of 2 per cent, 

 the total arrivals being 1,999, 874 packages, as compared with 1,951,957 

 packages the preceding year, 1,974,071 packages in 1898, and 2,109,503 

 packages in 1897. This is the first time for more than three years that 

 there has been an increase rather than a decrease. What is true of 

 New York is to some extent true of other large distributing centers, 

 and with the known fact that the consumption in the producing sec- 

 tions has been expanding steadily, we are inclined to think that the 

 total output of butter for the country has been fully 2 per cent greater 

 than in 1899. This increase is encouraging, as it indicates a disposi- 

 tion to give the dairy a better place on the farm. 



"The first three months showed a considerable falling off in receipts, 

 due to only fair conditions for making butter and the fact that the 

 storage stocks of the country were entirely exhausted." 



Some of these men endeavored to get me interested in this dairy 

 association. I am opposed to them merely on the ground that I con- 

 sider that they are working against my interests as a dairyman, against 

 my interests as a creamery man, and against my interests as a farmer. 

 They said to me, "Look at the surplus of butter we have constantly 



