THE FIGHT AGAINST MARGARINE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 562, 17 July 1909, Page 8

THE FIGHT AGAINST MARGARINE.

BUTTER MAT EISE. ' .'■ Messrs. Hills and Sparrow,, well known among New Zealand dairy factories, haye written as follows concerning the steps being taken m England to prevent the ■ fraudulent eale of margarine:— . ' > "A Bill has been before Parliament' with reference to the sale of margarine entitled 'A Bill to provide for the further prevention of the fraudulent sale of margarine. The whole gist of this Bill is the prevention of colouring margarine, and making it in appearance and character ciactly like butter; .in fact, the consuming public really cannot in very many cases with the high-class margarine - tell 'it from butter. It requiree an expert .to: distinguish it, and the Government are endeavouring to do away with any possibility of it being substituted for, or being sold for, butter, by not allowing any colouring matter-; and this would mean that the substance which we. now call margarine would bo a very dirty white colour, and for some considerable timo at all events we think the public would be averse to using it. .whether'in time they would get accustomed to this dirty white colour .remains to be seen, but if this Bill, which lias now passed tho second reading, and. is going into committee, passes and comes into force, as the i ramers of the . Bill intended it should, on January. 3,. 1910, wo see nothing ahead of us but a very big rise in butter. AVe think it very probable that butter generally would be .on a basis of, say, ,2d. per lb. higher than it has been for some time. It is' difficult to state exactly what the consumption of margarine is in this country, because thcro ir» so much made m.England, but it is generally estimated.to , be 1500 to 2000 tons weekly. We should,say for,some little time past, idtli the higher range of prices ruling, that it has been nearer the latter quantity." The proposed. Bill-only makes the.manufacture or sale of any margarine containing any colouring matter unlawful,- but also provides heavy penalties! in cases'where any colouring matter-is found in any margarine factory- or place where margarine is stored or sold, unless w« a % ? F T Ta the -colouring matter was -not intended to be used in or with the