OVER-MOIST BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 767, 16 March 1910, Page 10

OVER-MOIST BUTTER.

DETECTION BEFORE SHIPMENT. TESTING. DEPOTS PEOPOSED. In ; regard to the question of excessivi moisture in butter, tho Hon. T. Mac kenzie (Minister for Agriculture) is con sidering a proposal which has for its ob ject tho detection and remedying of anj fault prior to shipment at Governmen depots at a small cost to the exporters Speaking to a Dominion' reporter yes terday, Mr. Mackenzie stated that it hac been suggested by tho Director of thi Dairy Produce Division that a depot bi established at one or more of the centra shipping ports, through which the maker, of uairy Dutter. would have the privilegi of sending their produce. At such i depot, it would be tested before ship inent, and, iu cases where any exces: of moisture in the butter was detected it could be reworked and repacked befnn being shipped, for a small charge esti mated at (id. per box. Those dairymei who elected to-send their butter througl this depot, would avoid the risk of beinj prosecuted for. a fault, in their produce which some of them could not avoid owing to tho adverse conditions unde: which this class of. butter was madi Dn. many of the farms. . This, serious de feet was largely brought about by thi uxcessively warm wcatfier, and the lacl of any cooling. medium for controlling tho moisture, content of their butter Those dairymen, of course, who did no ivail themselves of this privilege, wpult have, to take the risk of being proctfedei n'gainst, if their butter happened to con tain more than 16 per cent, of water. 1 ivas thought that the expense involved ii providing the facilities referred to, wouli ciot be heavy. There would he thi necessity, however, of the employment o: in extra man to treat the butter undei the guidauco of the dairy produce jrader at the port of shipment. Although tho full details of the pro posal had not yet been considered (con tinued the Minister) there seemed t( be no serjous obstacle in the way ol carrying out the scheme. Considerable trouble and annoyance had been causec to settlers by their butter being with hold from shipment, which hail necessi tatcd the sale of. it locally to someone who had the facilities for reworking the butter and shipping it under tht ordinary milled brand. When thus dis nosed of, tho dairymen had also to stand tho loss of receiving a lower price foi their butter, than would' be the cast if it were shipped to the British markei n the ordinary way. It might be here mentioned that tho Department's officer* liad kept a strict supervision over ai! nutter passing through' the ' differeni jrading stores, from the point of view jf its moisturo content,. and, while the government was veir anxious to avoid :aking legal proceedings against any oi tho producers, who, owing to the disidvantages under which they Had to rork, could not help making up butter vhich contained more, inoisturo than that laid, down in the .Dairy Industry let, the necessity of protecting the good lame of Now Zealand butter on the British market had to be kept in mind. Of course, it must be clearly underitood (the Minister added) that what vas proposed was only to affect butter >roduced in private dairies, because of ;he fact already stated, that they were lnable during the warmer months tc sontrol the moisture the butter, contains, ind. also in order: to assist that class oi ;he butter industry. As regards dairy aetories and packing houses, there could, )f course, be no excuse for. butter from >uch containing excessive moisture, as could have the facilities for con* .rolling it. • It was , gratifying, however, ;o.be able v to report that practically no excessive moisture had been discovered n dairy factory butter this season. This vas exceedingly ■ satisfactory, ■ and \justiled the farm action ; which the Governnent recently took with regard to ex:essive; moisture, in the face of much jpposition. - The; effects were, no doubt, ieen in the splendid .position occupied )y New Zealand butter in the Home narket at the present time, where it wa« rww '? S P er , cwt -. as against EGs. for Australian and 1375. for Danish. ?»*:•, so-viwy long, since the price or Danish butter on the British market fwl ™ ucll nioro ' above the' price obtainKff»Jn v ? NCTr Zel >land article, the inference being as much as 12s. per cwt.