604 OLEOMARGARINE. 



factories, and the interest upon the capital which they claim to be in- 

 vested : 



Six per cent on $20,000,000 claimed to be invested by wholesale and retail 

 dealers $1,200,000 



Six per cent upon tbe $15,000,000 capital employed in manufacturing, as 

 claimed by Swift & Co 000,000 



Wages of 25,000 persons engaged in the handling of oleomargarine, at 

 $750 per year each 18, 750, 000 



Total cost of one year's business of handling oleomargarine, out- 

 side of wages of factory employees and cost of materials 20, 850, 000 



Add to this claimed expense the actual expense of manufacture of 

 probably 2 cents per pound, $1,600,000; the present 2-cent tax, aggre- 

 gating $1,660,000 more, and the average cost of materials, probably 8 

 cents per pound, and we have a total cost of 83,000,000 pounds of oleo- 

 margarine, according to Swift & Co., as follows : 



Interest on capital, cost of handling, as shown in foregoing table $20, 850, 000 



Cost of manufacturing 1, 660, 000 



Cost of 2-cent tax ., 1,660,000 



Cost of raw material, at 8 cents per pound 6, 640, 000 



Paid for wholesale, retail, and manufacturer's licenses (estimated) 300, 000 



Total cost of 83,000,000 pounds 29,110,000 



Or, to reduce it to pounds and cents, it requires an expenditure of 

 35.06 cents to produce a pound of oleomargarine, which, the same tirm 

 says a little further along, "sells at an average of 10 cents per pound " ! 



What does Congress think of such an attempt to mislead its members 

 upon this matter? 



Were not the statement of Swift & Co. made ridiculous in itself by 

 the claims of the importance of the oleomargarine traffic, their plea 

 might find an answer in the counterclaim that every man employed in 

 the oleomargarine traffic displaces at least three men who hitherto had 

 found employment upon the farm, and that the greater the showing 

 made by this industry the greater the necessity for Congressional 

 action to check a growth which is prima facie illegal. 



THE INGREDIENTS OP OLEOMARGARINE. 



In their statement Swift & Co. have the following to say regarding 

 the ingredients of oleomagarine: 



Second. Oleomargarine is an absolutely pure and healthful product. It contains 

 the following ingredients : 



1. Oleo oil: A selected fat from beef that is obtained from the caul fat. This is 

 the principal ingredient. This fat is thoroughly washed, thrown into a vat of ice 

 water to remove the animal heat, then thoroughly cooked, cooled, and put into 

 hydraulic presses, by which the oil is extracted, the residue being commercially 

 known as stearin. 



2. Neutral: This is the leaf lard of the pig. The leaf fat when taken out of the 

 animal is thoroughly washed and put into a refrigerator, where it remains twenty- 

 four hours. It is then thoroughly cooked. It is absolutely without color, being 

 snow white, and has neither taste nor odor. Both pigs and cattle are examined by 

 Government inspectors before and after killing, thereby insuring protection against 

 disease. England, France, Germany, Holland, and many other foreign countries 

 where oleomargarine is manufactured more extensively than in the United States 

 depend entirely upon American manufacturers for oleo oil and neutral. 



3. Cotton-seed oil: This ingredient is not always used; it is used in limited quan- 

 tities in the medium grade. The oil is extracted from selected cotton seed and then 

 highly refined. It is a pure, sweet product and is used quite generally for cooking 

 purposes. Prominent chemists have asserted that it has the same qualities as and 

 is equally digestible with the best of olive oil. 



4. Milk. 



5. Salt. 



(*22) 



