MARGARINE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 593, 23 August 1909, Page 10

MARGARINE.

AN INTERESTING TRADE INCREASING STRONG RIVAL OF INFERIOR BTJTTEI Margarine (says the "Sydney Morning Hα aid )is now being manufactured:in NcwSout Wales, eo extensively that it has completel taken tke place of pastry butter, while it he reduced tho sale of secondary butters ver considerably. Sussex Street merchants aro t a loss to find an outlet for the stocks whic are accumulating, and which have been con ing in steadily since the export season t London closed. Small quantities have bee sent to Westorn Australia, Tasmania, and Vii toria; but now those States have receive quit as much of this quality, as they reqiiin It is estimated that there are fully 8000 l)ox< of secondary and pastry butter held in col store which .are not able to find a marke From present , indications there seems to I: quite as much of this quality as they requiri than to ship it to the London market, whic will mean n big loss to the farmers. To the average person who has not mad the acquaintance of margarine there may b something repulsive in the idea of tasting i But apparently there is nothing to be urge against.it on the score of wholesomeness. Til main ingredient is beef suet;or caul fat. Tli Queensland meahvorks prepare a special grad of fat for. the purpose. There are about si factories in Sydney manufacturing inargarir at the present time, and it is stated that the; cannot produce .enough to cop'o with: tho ordci they receive. Restaurant-keepers, grocers, pa: trycooks, and provision shops are all drawin heavily on margarine and neglecting pastr butter. Grocers in some of the poorer sul urbs report' that their turnover in margarii has increased 50 to 100 per cent, within ti past few months, and others who have nev< sold it before aro getting through two bo» to every one of butter. Tablo margarine ; bought wholesale at 7Jd. per lb., and retaile at 10! d. per lb.; whereas pastry butter cos' about 10d.,.and is sold over the counter at 1, per lb. This 3d. per lb. profit-on margarim together with tho 2J percent, discount, thi is allowed on sales, is a very big inducemei to grocers to push its sale: ■■• ■ . One merchant, speaking in regard to the pr< sent slump in- the pooler'.qualities of butte said:—"This timo last year I "had no troubl in selling over 500 boxes of pastry butter ( restaurant-keepers, pastrycooks, and grocer Now, howevor, I cannot 'get thorn.to tali cren a box, notwithstanding the fact that'tl; price of butter is much lower, than, it was la; j-oar.' Wo wero , getting" 124s.'easily" for pastr buttor .then, but now we cWsfll'hardly a bo it 90s. per ewt. The Whole trouble, of conrs rests in the,cheap price at which inargarir 3an bo produced; and the fact that it offers larger profit than butter'is a good inducemoi to sellers to force its sale." ' ; "Thero aro,..threo grades offering on-the Nβ South Wales market, and all these can be & :ured at a 25 per cent, discount, while the: s no .discount allowed for butter. There : v:special make.which is sold iu bulk wholesal it -7id. per lb., and carries 50 per-cent, profi rhen'there is a No.-l grade sold at' 7d. carr; .nz- 25 per cent.':■ profit,' and a N0.:2 grac jelling at fid. carrying 20..p6r cent.-. profi ?rom the traders' point of. view-margarine i i much better commodity toi handle than bu ;er. . It will keep a month before it shon iigns of deteriorating,. .whereas' , -pastry bu or will-not keep longer than a,week. Whe t has been kept on'hand "a long while it ma loreturried to the factory and put through ■ irocess, and once more appear.on the niarkc n 'fresh' condition. There are .no col torage expenses connected with-it, and thi \%a adds to its profit'.' Thus it will be see hat there is a good deal to.be made out c landling ■ margarine, and it is on this accoui hat its production, has been so rapid this yoai 'iotoria has been manufacturing it for a goo liany years, and before they gavo up colourin t they used to put a splendid sample on on narket." "It is this colouring of the margarine tba ro.as wholesale merchants strongly object to, emarked' a member of a Sussex Street firn ThsTo ought to be an Act here similar to the ii Victoria, which prevents tho manufacture rom using any colouring matter whatever, f hat it can bo sold in its', natural white-stab t should not bo offered for sale unless a tick* :ith the word 'Margarine' and the price we isplayed with it. This is what the grocei ii England hare to do, according to. the'lav 'he reason why I suggest that, all these pri nation's should be taken in its sale- is- thi largarine is got up to such a perfection nov days that it is difficult; for even an expert! :11 it from butter, while 1 there aro many coj nmers who,-buy it .in': the'.belief that it .: utter. Tho. people should' know what ,tlw ro buying, and by adopting methodsi.'simiU j' those which aro in vogue in England ar ictoria there is little chance offered to impbi n the public. On the other hand,-the stap' roduct should bo protected, and I-consich iat if margarino were sold 'milk' whito'Vtt omand would fall away by half, thus doir iray with the injurious competition that ow, has ■to meet.; Of course there may I is or two good points through, this.sevei )mpetitor. It will, certainly -'.force, the'buth ictories 'to turn out better, second butte ian they aro doing; but still this would appl ist the same if tho substitute were so! t its milk-white state. One-time-we uw i havo the trade for a fair class of'tbuttor i ns'for ships' crows, but now the margarii is taken that away completely. The specul irs have lost heavily this year through tl savy production of margarine. Mapy. aior•ctting that they have 'touohed second-ra: jtter at all." , ..' ,''.'.,.' ''• , The August number of tho "New Zoalar irraer"' contains n list. of tho. prices . re: iod for tho leading New Zealand clips, so! the third series of London sales this yea inong the clips sold, the "Hikn,"-' "Bee, id-"Titi" stood out prominently; tho tc ices paid for thesis wools—all greasy cros ed—were respectively Is. 3Jd-j Iβ. 3d., ar . 2Jd- per lb. The flocks from which thej mis came were dipped (and have bee r some years) in llurton's Dip. 22E