No. 4.] RP:P()RT of dairy bureau. 361 



Boston made ;i ruling which was afterwards endorsed by 

 fJudge Stevens, and which practieally nullifies the anti-color 

 law except in cases where foreign coloration can be proved. 

 Prior to July 1, 1902, most of the complaints for illegal 

 sale of oleomargarine were brought under the anti-color 

 law, and the complainant was rarely, if ever, called upon to 

 prove foreign coloration in order to win his cases. This 

 was so because all oleomargarine then made in imitation of 

 yellow butter contained foreign coloring matter in forms 

 casilv detected, and therefore no oleomarirarine manufac- 

 turer or dealer would or could successfully contest the point, 

 and hence did not. But when the national law iun)osed a 

 tax of 10 cents per pound on oleomargarine artificially col- 

 ored in imitation of yellow butter, and allowed that not so 

 colored to escape with a tax of ^ of a cent per pound, the 

 manufacturers tried their best to produce an imitation of 

 yellow butter which would not be construed by the internal 

 revenue officers to be "artificially colored."' In the first 

 place, an attempt is said to have been made to use a par- 

 tially bleached cotton-seed oil : but this aftected the flavor 

 of the goods so unfavorably that it had to be given up. 

 Then, it is claimed, a cotton-seed oil containing a small per- 

 centage of palm oil was used. This went along for some 

 time, making a good imitation of light yellow butter, until 

 a method was discovered by a government chemist whereby 

 the palm oil could be detected, the revenue department ruling 

 that palm oil was an artificial coloration. This ruling is 

 what has finally placed the oleomargarine situation where it 

 is. This last attempt to color their goods in imitation of 

 yellow butter shows the animus of the manufacturers, and 

 also how vitally they consider the point of color in the suc- 

 cess of their business. A strenuous efibrt has been made 

 by them to introduce oleomargarine to the general trade, 

 and a large number of retail merchants have taken out 

 licenses. This \vas auspicious for the makers and whole- 

 salers, for they were thus able to trade with prosperous 

 merchants and men of good financial standing. The result, 

 however, was not all that had been expected. There seems 

 to be a considerable prejudice yet in the public mind against 

 oleomargarine. 



