730 OLEOMARGARINE. 



seed oil and its by-products has grown, and the position it occupies in 

 the foreign commerce of this country. 



Your attention has been called to the injury the passage of the Grout 

 bill would inflict on the southern farmers and laborers by depriving the 

 manufacturers of cotton oil of one of their most important home outlets. 



Not only, however, would the home consumption of cotton oil be cur- 

 taile.d, if this proposed bill should become a law, but we should also 

 suffer in our export demand, and, as evidenced by the following figures, 

 the cotton-oil exports in the last three years have assumed a position 

 of considerable importance in this country's foreign commerce. 



In 1897 the exports were 27,198.883 gallons, or 543,976 barrels. 



In 1898 they were 40,230,784 gallons, or 804,615 barrels. In 1899 they 

 were 50,627,211) gallons, or 1,021,514 barrels, which latter amount, taken 

 at the average price of that year, represents a value in dollars and 

 cents of $13,103,076.94. This sum simply represents the exports of oil 

 alone, and does not include the exports of meal and cake, which would 

 amount to as much more. 



This foreign demand has been created after years of effort and at the 

 expenditure of thousands of dollars, but at this juncture it is menaced 

 by country after country endeavoring to stop its import by the imposi 

 tion of prohibitive duties. France, to whom was shipped last year 

 339,187 barrels, and Germany, 70,428 barrels, are both laboring to enact 

 legislation that would close their ports to this great American staple: 



Now, if our own legislature should stigmatize this article, and by a 

 prohibitive tax prevent its sale in this country in the form of oleomar- 

 garine, it would be putting a weapon in the hands of our foreign com- 

 petitors that they would not fail to use to enact legislation that would 

 prohibit its sale, thus entailing a loss of millions of dollars to our for- 

 eign commerce and the effects of which would be felt by every railroad 

 in this country and by every ocean steamer leaving our ports. 



The growth of the cotton oil industry has been rapid, and the demand, 

 especially in this country, has failed to keep pace with the increasing 

 production, therefore, if the article were deprived of any portion of its 

 already inadequate home demand it would mean that the surplus thus 

 created would have to force an outlet in Europe, and this could only be 

 accomplished at the expense of values. 



If the outlet we now possess in oleomargarine is destroyed and a 

 surplus thus created it would cause a decline in values of at least $2 

 per barrel, which, taken on last year's production of 2,000,000 barrels, 

 means a loss to the farming interests of the South and Southwest of 

 $4,000,000. 



Mr. NEVILLE. Is it not true that the proposed legislation in France 

 is against oleomargarine and not against cotton-seed oil ? 



Mr. OANTRELL. No, sir; that is not true. France, a lew years ago, 

 and up to within the last four or five, took about ten or twenty thous 

 and barrels of cotton-seed oil. They used the arrish-seed oil, which is 

 a wild peanut, as well as several other things of that sort, but the cot- 

 ton-seed oil was so much cheaper and purer that the manufacturers of 

 those countries were forced to use it, and they were forced to go to the 

 cotton-seed people. And they found themselves compelled in France 

 to put a prohibitive duty upon it. 



Mr. NEVILLE. Is it not a fact that only a few weeks ago they did 

 pass legislation against oleomargarine? 



Mr. OANTRELL. Not that I am aware of. 



Mr. NEVILLE. The reason I asked you is because I read it only day 

 before yesterday. 



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