676 



OLEOMARGARINE. 



referred to. While to my mind the enactment into laws of such meas- 

 ures as those under discussion laws which put a prohibitive tax upon 

 one commercial industry for the benefit and upbuilding of another, that 

 permits the introduction of one healthful and harmless ingredient into 

 an article of food in order to make it more palatable and prohibits the 

 introduction of the same ingredient into an equally healthful and harm- 

 less article of food smacks of class legislation of the most objection- 

 able character, I admit my deficiency in legal knowledge and training 

 and leave that to the eminent legal minds both on this committee and 

 in the country at large. I do not believe there is any doubt in the 

 minds of this committee that the proposed measure is intended to place 

 a prohibitive tax upon the manufacture of oleomargarine, thus legisla- 

 ting the industry out of existence. Let us see what effect it would 

 have upon the cattle industries of the country. 



It is a well-known fact that the principal ingredients of oleomargarine 

 are the caul fat of the beef steer, the leaf lard of the hog, pure cream, 

 milk and butter, cotton seed oil, salt, and coloring matter. In each 

 beef steer there is an average of 50 pounds of caul fat from which the 

 oleo oil is extracted, and in each hog there is an average of 8 pounds 

 of leaf lard which forms the neutral oil. The market price to day for 

 caul fat for oleomargarine purposes is 10 cents per pound, while tallow 

 is worth 6 cents; leaf fat is worth, for oleomargarine purposes, 8J cents 

 per pound, and for lard 6 cents. There were slaughtered at Kansas 

 City from January 1, 1899, to January 1, 1900, 991,783 head of cattle, 

 producing 49,589,150 pounds of oleo oil, worth to-day 10 cents per 

 pound, a total value of $4,958,915. Were it not for the demand the 

 manufacture of oleomargarine has created for oleo oil this product 

 would have been sold for tallow, which is worth 6 cents per pound, 

 netting for the above production $2,975,349, a difference of $1,983,566, 

 or $2 less to the cattle raiser for each steer slaughtered. There were 

 slaughtered at Kansas City during the period mentioned above 

 2,700.109 hogs, producing 21,600,872 pounds of neutral lard worth 

 to day 8J cents per pound, a total value of $1,836,074. 



The demand for neutral lard as an oleomargarine ingredient removed, 

 this product would have been sold for lard at 6 cents per pound, a 

 total value of $1,296,052, a difference of $540,022, or 20 cents less to the 

 farmer for each hog slaughtered. Thus it can be readily seen from the 

 above figures that had the oleomargarine factories been closed January 

 1, 1899, it would have cost the cattle and hog raisers marketing their 

 stock at Kansas City for the year 1899 the sum of $2,523,588. And this 

 amount does not by any means represent what the total loss would have 

 been, for if all the oleo oil and leaf fat used in this country for oleo- 

 margarine purposes were to be used as common tallow and lard, and 

 for soap making purposes, it would make an over supply of those com- 

 modities, thereby reducing the market price from 1 to 2 cents per pound, 

 but that is a matter upon which no reliable data can be given. Have 

 we not a right, therefore, to step in and file our protest against so unjust 

 a measure? But some one may say, that presents a condition entirely 

 local. Then let us step up to higher ground and take a broader view. 



The Government report shows that on January 1, 1900, there were in 

 the United States 43,902,414 head of cattle, of which 16,292,360 head 

 were milch cows; and of cattle other than milch cows, 27,610,054. By 

 the enactment of laws prohibiting the use of oleomargarine each head 

 of those cattle other than milch cows would have a depreciation in 

 value, as shown above, of $2 per head, or a total of $55,220,108. Again, 

 the Government report showed that on January 1, 1899 no estimate 



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