REPORT. 



The past year has been the most notable in the history of 

 the Bureau, for two reasons. In the first place, there has 

 been a record-breaking amount of work done. In no pre- 

 vious year in the history of the Bureau have there been so 

 many business places visited, so many prosecutions or so 

 many convictions. In the next place, there have been sev- 

 eral important changes in State and national laws, some of 

 which have had a material influence on the nature of our 

 work. Congress has placed the Massachusetts anti-color 

 oleomargarine law on a surer footing. When the national 

 government was org"anized, the States gave up to the central 

 authority the right to regulate interstate traffic : and there- 

 fore the constitutionalit}^ of the Massachusetts anti-color 

 law was attacked on the ground that this State had en- 

 croached upon the prerogatives of the national government 

 by interfering with interstate commerce. The supreme 

 court did not uphold this vicAv of the case, but maintained 

 that Massachusetts, in regulatino- the sale of an imitation 

 product, had acted within the scope of the police powers 

 retained by the States at the organizing of the government. 

 This opinion, however, was not unanimous, it being the 

 view of a majority of the judges, a strong minority dis- 

 senting. A change of two judges, by death or resignation, 

 might have resulted in a reversal of the decision. But now 

 Congress has given back to the States the right to legislate 

 as to oleomargarine, and the principle of the Massachusetts 

 law is doubly clinched. In the same act Congress increased 

 the internal revenue tax on colored oleomargarine to 10 

 cents per pound, and reduced the tax on the uncolored to 

 1/4 cent. This makes imitation butter cost 8 cents more 



