OLEOMARG AEINE. 



Mr. WILLIAMS. You represent this association of commission mer- 

 chants, who sell cattle for the stock raisers, in their relations to the 

 railroads'? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. Exactly. 



Mr. NEVILLE. You make arrangements for traffic and represent 

 them in that respect? 



.Mr. TOMLINSON. Yes, sir; the commission men. Their opinion, it 

 seems to me, in regard to the effect of legislation against oleomargarine 

 would be probably better than anybody else's so far as its effect on the 

 price of cattle is concerned, because they are the people who sell the 

 live stock of the country; and their resolution points out that it would 

 cut down the price of cattle from $3 to $4 a head. 



Mr. NEVILLE. Do you know the relative number of cattle raised in 

 this country now and last year, and the amount of fat in each animal 

 on the average? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. That would depend. 



Mr. NEVILLE. So as, I mean, to be able to determine the actual 

 value in the animal of this fat? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. I could furnish you with some accurate figures on 

 it, but I should dislike to make a rough statement. I should think, 

 however, it would run forty to fifty pounds. I am satisfied that is a 

 conservative estimate. 



Mr. NEVILLE. How can you determine that if you know nothing about 

 the manufacture of oleomargarine? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. The Chicago Live Stock Exchange slaughters all 

 the animals suspected of any disease, such as tuberculosis, and a num- 

 ber of them are passed as fit for food after inspection, and they sell the 

 various portions of the animal so slaughtered at the market value of 

 it, and butter stock constitutes one part of that. I have occasion to 

 look over their reports, and know about what it would average. That 

 is the basis of my statement in that respect. 



Mr. NEVILLE. All you know about it is from looking over those 

 reports ? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. Do not misunderstand me. I have been present at 

 a number of meetings of the executive committee of the National Live 

 Stock Exchange, and have talked with the officials of that exchange, 

 and, of course, my information is largely hearsay to that extent, but it 

 is what they say on the matter. They had no occasion to misrepresent 

 it, of course. It was a matter they were considering. 



In the annual meeting there were two papers read on the matter, one 

 by Colonel Hobbs, of New York, and some other gentleman whose 

 name I do not remember, but there was, I think, but very little discus- 

 sion regarding the merits of this pending legislation. 



Mr. NEVILLE. You were there? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. Yes, sir. 



Mr. NEVILLE. Can you explain why this measure, which, if passed, 

 would tax oleomargarine, why the resolution did not contain the fact 

 that the tax of 10 per cent was simply to be imposed upon the colored 

 oleomargarine? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. No, sir; I can not. It is readily understandable 

 that an association, while they might have some notion of such a thing 

 as this, might not have the exact details of it. 



Mr. NEVILLE. Does it mention the 10 per cent at all? 



Mr. TOMLINSON. No, sir. 



Mr. BAILEY. The reference was in a general way to the bill f 



Mr. TOMLINSON. Yes, sir. They all thought that it was very iinpor- 



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