348 OLEOMARGARINE. 



Mr. CULBERSON. I must confess that I am not fully posted on that 

 matter. I do not think there is any law governing its manufacture or 

 sale. 



The ACTING CHAIRMAN. There is none. 



Mr. CULBERSON. There was an attempt made a year or two ago to 

 frame a law, which was defeated. An attempt was made to follow some 

 of the laws of the North and East in that respect, but the venture did 

 not go through. 



Mr. TILLINGHAST. Do you hear any complaints about it being sold 

 for butter in your State? A. No. I think I have mentioned in regard 

 to a certain percentage of the total quantity of oil produced as being 

 used for butterine or oleomargarine purposes. At some of the mills 

 in which I am directly interested one-half of the production of those 

 particular mills is sold either in this country to butterine manufacturers 

 or is exported for that same purpose, so that the passage of this bill 

 would hurt us very materially. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Will you pardon a question 1 ? 



Mr. CULBERSON. Yes, sir. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Are you a refiner of cotton-seed oil? 



Mr. CULBERSON. We have refineries at our plants; yes, sir. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Do you use any chemicals in refining cotton-seed oil? 



Mr. CULBERSON. There is no other way to refine it other than by 

 chemicals. 



Mr. KNIGHT. What chemical is used ? 



Mr. CULBERSON. Various. 



Mr. KNIGHT. What is the principal one? 



Mr. CULBERSON. The same chemicals that have been used ever since 

 cotton-seed oil was refined. 



Mr. KNIGHT. I am not a cotton-oil man, so I do not know what those 

 are, and 1 do not think the committee does. 



Mr. CULBERSON. We use caustic soda in diluted form. We further- 

 more have our own processes by which when the oil is finished it is 

 perfectly neutral. There is absolutely no sign of chemical or of color- 

 ing matter. 



Mr. KNIGHT. You can refine cotton-seed oil and make it absolutely 

 white make what they call a winter oil? 



Mr. CULBERSON. Yes; that can be done. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Do you think it is possible that any of that caustic soda 

 will be left in the oil after the refining? 



Mr. CULBERSON. It is possible, but not for butter oil purposes. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Then in all of the oleomargarine that we eat we eat an 

 oil that has been through a process of refinement by caustic soda or with 

 caustic soda? 



Mr. CULBERSON. Not necessarily. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Well, some other chemical equally strong. 



Mr. CULBERSON. Not necessarily. There are other processes. I tell 

 you what we use. 



The ACTING CHAIRMAN. Are there others to be heard this afternoon ? 



Mr. JELKE. Mr. Chairman, it was expected that Mr. Tompkins, who 

 spoke this morning, would continue this afternoon, and there has been 

 no provision made for a further speaker. Mr. Tompkins was called 

 away to Richmond at half past 3. 



The ACTING CHAIRMAN. Then on behalf of the committee, thanking 

 those who have spoken for their attendance upon the committee, we 

 will stand adjourned until to-morrow morning at half past 10 o'clock. 



The committee, at 4.32 p. m., adjourned until Wednesday morning, 

 January 9, 1901, at 10.30. 



