830 OLEOMARGARINE. 



From Hon. G. L. Flanders, assistant commissioner of agriculture 

 for the State of New York, we have the following statements, printed 

 on pages 121, 135, and 125, respectively: 



In 1878 it appeared in the State of New York that oleomargarine was being sold, 

 and sold as butter. It was thought then that the State would try to regulate the 

 matter. It passed a statute that the goods might be sold, but should be branded as 

 such. That law proved ineffective, and in 1880 the State passed another act provid- 

 ing that when sold it should be branded as oleomagarine. That act, although more 

 restrictive, proved ineffective; and in 1882 the State passed another law more 

 restrictive, and that failed to produce a result, and, finally, hi 1884 it passed an act 

 providing oleomargarine should not be sold as a substitute for butter. That act was 

 declared unconstitutional. * * * 



For sixteen years I have been watching this work, seeing it go on. There is a gen- 

 tleman here representing a large firm in Chicago. They came down into our State 

 two or three years ago and attempted to put in oleomargarine. I myself went into 

 the city of Cohoes with two other men. We watched for two weeks. We finally 

 found that it came in over the railroad in barrels of 10-pound tubs, with canvas over 

 the heads of the barrels. We had it watched day and night. I went myself with 

 men from house to house inhabited by French families who could not speak a word 

 of English. I asked an old woman if she bought it for butter. She could not speak 

 any English. I got a little girl there to ask the old lady what she bought it for, and 

 she said, "For butter." "For pure butter?" I asked. She said, "Yes." I said, 

 " What did you pay?" She told me 22 cents, and that was the price of butter. It 

 was sold to those people for butter. It has been our experience for sixteen years 

 in the State of New York that that is what is done. * * * 



Now, I am not guessing or talking at random, for in 1884 and 1885, when we com 

 menced to enforce these laws, you were selling, or those who were in the same busi- 

 ness that you are in to-day were selling, in the State of New York 15,000,000 pounds, 

 and they told the same story then as glibly as you tell it now that they wanted to 

 sell it for what it was. Our men went into the city of New York, and if they went 

 into a store where they were known and called for butter they got butter; but just 

 as soon as they put on the garments of 'longshoremen, which they did in a great 

 many instances, to see what the facts were, and took a basket upon their arms and 

 bought a quarter of a pound of tea and a loaf of bread, they got oleomargarine. 

 This is no fanciful dream. It is a fact. 



And from another assistant, Mr. Kracke, having charge of the 

 enforcement of the law in Greater New York, we have the following 

 statement, on pages 365 and 36Y: 



It is said here by some of the friends of the bill that 75 per cent of the oleomarga- 

 rine sold is sold as and for butter. Now, I rather disagree with them. From my 

 experience in New York, and I have had five years' experience there in enforcing the 

 law, I rather disagree with that proposition and that statement. Every ounce of it 

 that is sold in New York is sold as and for butter. 



Now, from New Jersey these peddlers with wagons come over and deliver oleo- 

 margarine to private houses and boarding houses in this way: 



An agent will come along, calling at the different houses, asking for the mistress of 

 the house, and tell her a story about how he can deliver her some nice creamery but- 

 ter for a certain price if she will contract with him for a year. Of course that price 

 will always be from 5 to 10 cents below the creamery-butter price 5 cents, as a rule. 

 Then, after she has seen the cheapness of the thing, the saving in the price, believing 

 this to be genuine butter, she will give the order. Then, a few days later, these 

 wagons come over from New Jersey into New York to deliver these goods. They are 

 bought for and as butter. 



On page 367 Mr. Kracke tells of one ingenious method uncovered 

 for the fraudulent sale of oleomargarine as butter. 



The method is this: The man has a boy there in the store. Next time you go there 

 you will see this boy walking in the place. As the men, about 10 or 11 o'clock in 

 the morning, get their orders ready and they are put in the wagon for delivery, this 

 boy will be walking up and down, watching the orders. He will have on a very 

 large coat. This coat is very heavily lined, and it is interlined and in terse wed so 

 that it will permit a number of pound prints of oleomargarine to be placed in the 

 lining. The boy will go with the wagon, and when it gets to a certain house where 

 he wants to deliver oleomargarine with the order, whereas butter has been ordered, 



