OLEOMAEGAKINE. 631 



At each killing establish ment inspectors are stationed who make 

 post mortem examination of each head of cattle killed, placing a Gov- 

 ernment certificate of inspection on each carcass, and in case of hog 

 products for export microscopical examinations are made. 



There are no diseases of a malignant type among the beef herds of 

 the United States, and all claims of impurity by foreign countries are 

 like the features of this bill, mere subterfuges made for the purpose of 

 advancing selfish interests, and even if there were the thorough inspec- 

 tion given by the Bureau of Animal Industry, assisted by State sanitary 

 boards, and such associations as I have the honor to represent, the 

 health of the public would be amply protected. The past three years 

 the cattle industry of the country has taken rapid strides on the road 

 to recovery from the extreme depression which reached its lowest point 

 in 1890. A reversal at this time would be of serious consequence to the 

 country at large, especially all that territory west of the Mississippi 

 River. The only two dark clouds that appear on the horizon to threaten 

 the industry are bills before our own Congress, which, if passed, would 

 surely cause an enormous decrease in values, and the bill now pending 

 before the Reichstag of Germany to prohibit the importation of American 

 meat products into that empire. 



They are equally unjust and unwarranted. If the seal of official con- 

 demnation is thus placed by Congress upon two of the important 

 products from our cattle and hogs, with what grace or under what pre- 

 text can the people of this country demand retaliation on the part of 

 our Government, should the German bill become a law? 



The CHAIRMAN. Does any member of the committee want to question 

 Mr. McCoy? 



Representative BAILEY. Mr. McCoy, I notice that you make the claim 

 of a certain loss to animal industry on account of the passage of this 

 bill, which, if true, would of course be a very potent reason why it should 

 not become a law. The National Dairy Association has published a 

 pamphlet in which they take issue with that proposition, and have 

 compiled some figures to prove that the number of cattle slaughtered 

 in this country and the number of hogs slaughtered in this country, as 

 compared with the amount of oleomargarine which is made, would only 

 reduce the price about 20 cents a head. Can you tell us how this would 

 be why there is such a difference in figures between the Dairy Associ- 

 ation and the Cattle Association? 



Mr. MoCoY. In this day of close competition and great manufactur- 

 ing interests, every commodity, as I understand it, is bought with a 

 view to what can be brought out of the raw material. If, in these late 

 days, when the killing establishments can use every part of an animal, 

 and, through improved machinery and processes of manufacture, can 

 use parts that were unavailable before, you reduce the articles that can 

 be manufactured from the raw material in the shape of the beef steer, 

 you naturally depreciate him in value. I have seen a statement some- 

 where, probably the one to which you refer, in which they claim that 

 there would be a depreciation of only 20 cents per head, and claim that 

 of the outpnt of oleo product, leaf fat, amounting to in the neighbor- 

 hood of 80,000,000 to 83,000,000 of pounds for the year, only a very 

 small percentage went into oleomargarine, It seems to me that the 

 foreign demand for this product, the immense amount of this product 

 that is sold outside of the United States, has not been taken into 

 account in that estimate. Even if that were the case, I have offered an 

 explanation on that point right at the very last of this paper that if 

 we ourselves claim that our product is unhealthy, with what grace can 

 we ask another country to come in and accept it and use it? 



