220 OLEOMARGARINE. 



STATEMENT OF JOSEPH C. SHARPLESS, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



Mr. SHARPLESS. Mr. Chairman, I have only a few words to say. As 

 Mr. Kauffman stated, I am a creamery man. I put up most of my 

 butter in half-pound prints with my full name on them. My attention 

 was called a little while ago to some butter that was found in the mar- 

 ket with my name on it, a half-pound print, and when I came to exam- 

 ine it it was oleo. Somebody had gotten that block made and gone 

 and printed oleomargarine with my print, whereas if the stuff had 

 been white, as we want it to be, and not colored in imitation of our 

 goods, the people would not have bought it as my butter. I simply 

 wanted to make that statement. 



Mr. SCHELL. Mr. Chairman, may I ask a question, please? I would 

 like to ask the two gentlemen whether, if a law could be prepared 

 which would compel colored oleomargarine to be sold for what it is, 

 they would then object to the color in the oleo? 



Mr. HABECKER. How is that? 



Mr. SCHELL. Would you object to colored oleomargarine being on 

 the market if some law could be framed by which the dealer would be 

 compelled to sell it for what it is ? 



Mr. HABECKER. It could not be. 



Mr. SCHELL. Well, if it could be? 



Mr. HABECKER. I do not think that is the question. 



Mr. KAUFFMAN. I will answer that question, if you please. 



The ACTING CHAIRMAN. We will defer the answer to that question 

 until the turn of this gentleman to speak, because I imagine that ho, 

 who is trained in the law, will perhaps know more about statutes than 

 the gentlemen who are trained in the creamery business. 



Mr. SCHELL. I understand; but that simply goes to the question of 

 whether or not such a law can be made. I want to get at the intent of 

 the people who are actually in the business, and who are here advocat- 

 ing this bill. I want to know whether they want colored oleomargarine 

 stamped out, or whether they simply want it subjected to such restric- 

 tions as will insure its being sold for what it is. 



Mr. KAUFFMAN. I will answer that question when my turn comes. 

 You can ask me all the questions you please, and I will be glad to 

 answer them. 



The next gentleman who will speak is Mr. Isaac W. Cleaver, who is 

 manager of 65 grocery stores in the city of Philadelphia. 



STATEMENT OF ISAAC W. CLEAVER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Chairman, I represent the Acme Tea Company, 

 which operates not 65 but 63 retail stores in Philadelphia. 



We are known as cut grocers. Consequently, we think that we reach 

 the masses of the people. It has been our desire and our policy, and 

 our practice, to conform strictly to all the laws with respect to pure 

 food. We have found that we were beaten by our competitors, who 

 sold an imitation or a counterfeit for butter at about a cent a pound less 

 than we were selling it. We know this because we bought it from 

 them as butter, for butter, had it tested, and it proved to be oleo- 

 margarine. 



