482 OLEOMARGARINE. 



Mr. JELKE. Mr. Knight, just one question : Those figures represent 

 the number of packages'? 



Mr. KNIGHT. Yes. 



Mr. JELKE. Are they of the same size? 



Mr. KNIGHT. I do not know, Mr. Jelke. 



Mr. JELKE. I know that years ago a large number of packages of 

 butter went into New York in the shape of firkins containing 100 or 

 112 pounds. 



Mr. KNIGHT. There is no way of arriving at that information. 



Senator FOSTER. Are these tubs or firkins? 



Mr. KNIGHT. There is no way of telling that. 



Mr. MILLER. Is it not a fact that the receipts of butter since May 1 

 last in New York show an increase over the previous year? 



Mr. KNIGHT. Yes; they are increasing a little over the previous 

 year. 



Another thing to which this gentleman drew your attention very 

 forcibly was the fact that last year the price of butter was higher in 

 New York City than it had been for twelve years. 



Well, he simply misrepresented the facts in that case. Here is a 

 publication from the Agricultural Department giving a diagram of the 

 price of butter for the last ten years ; and 1 have carried it out to eleven 

 years. I am sorry 1 have not enough copies of this publication to hand 

 one to each member of the committee. There it is, in this chart the 

 line showing the production of oleomargarine. It shows the amount 

 produced in each month as compared with the preceding and successive 

 months. 



That will reveal to you, gentlemen, a little of the cause of our alarm 

 in this matter. If you will follow that diagram you will see, Senator, 

 that the price of butter has gradually been going down, down, down. 

 You will see that in 1398 or 1899 there was a marked ^advance. In 

 1898 you will notice a sharp jump. The market went upward. The 

 cause of that has not yet been explained to you. 



The jump in the price of butter in the year 1898 was due to droughts 

 all over Europe. There was a tremendous export demand for butter in 

 that year, as a result of a scorching drought all over the continent, and 

 all over the islands of England and Ireland. The importers of Europe 

 came here in August for our butter, and they cleaned out everything 

 that we could possibly sell to them. They cleaned up our storage sup- 

 plies, among other things; and the result was that when we came to 

 the winter there was no stock in storage from which to draw. The 

 surplus had all been wiped out. That was the cause of the high prices 

 of that year. It was not a natural condition at all. What is the con- 

 dition to-day? A year ago the price of butter in the New York market 

 was about 30 cents a pound as a result of that drought. To-day the 

 market in New York is either 24 or 25 cents, I am not prepared to say 

 exactly which. 



Mr. JELKE. The market reports in the newspapers will give you the 

 exact figures. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Yes; but I have not them. 



The ACTING CHAIRMAN. Mr. Knight, permit me to suggest this: 

 Mr. Peters, from Texas, a very large cattle owner, is here, having come 

 from quite a distance. He wants to make a statement, and possibly 

 you will want to reply to what he says. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Very well; I am willing to give way, if you suggest it, 

 Senator. 



The ACTING CHAIRMAN. I am simply suggesting to you the pro- 

 priety of the step. You can use your own discretion about it. 



