BUTTER REGULATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1849, 8 September 1913, Page 10

BUTTER REGULATIONS.

THE 3LVKEKS' GRIEVANaES. Somo days ago mention was made in this column that northern buttermakers were incensed becausß tho Dairy pslvisioiij had caused regulations to bo issued prohibiting the use of ciuibonat-o of soda as au agent for neutralising lactic acid in tho manufacture of butter. It now transpires that tho Health Department is responsible for tho regulation, under tho authority of the Sale of Foods and 1 Drugs Act, which controls tho sale of butter for local consumption. What idtdmato effect this new regulation will have 011 tho butter-making industry, if'; strictly enforced, cannot bo determined oftJhaiul. Discussing tho matter generally'.yesterday, an authority had the following to say:—. "Producers in localities v-'hero homeseparation is'in voguo aro tho most concerned, and) as was indicated recently, they aro loud in their protests against being prohibited the use of a constituent which they claim to bo indispensablo in the manufacture of butter made from faulty 'home-separated cream. Viewing the whole question, there appears a great deal to be said 1 on both sides. If, as tho butter-makers claim, tho moderate use of carbonate of soda in butter has no injurious effect on tho publio health, tho onus is 011 the Department to' givo satisfactory reasons for the enforcement of tho regulation, which is held to bo arbitrary. The question of quality has also been raisecU it being urged that the neutralising effect of tho soda is only temporary, and, while the butter may be apparently first grade when shipped abroad, certain objectionable flavours den'clop before it reaches th-3 consumer. Here again tho responsibility rests with the authorities to prove tdiat tho undesirable condition of tho butter when it reaches tho Home market can bo traced directly and without any shadow of doubt to tho use of soda. There may be other causes for tho trouble. If. positivo proof is forthcoming that tho ingredient complained of constitutes a menacoHo the good 1 name of our butter, and injuriously affects tho market, then there is only ono course to adopt. That serious complaints were made by English buyers as to the quality, of some brands of New Zealand butter last season cannot bo denied. Home 'separation was blamed _ for tho trouble, and subsequent inquiries mado locally left no room for doubt tlhat tho manner in ivhioh a largo proportion of the plants were conducted during .the year left a great deal to be desired. The Gospel of Cleanliness. "Most of the objection, was directed) against tho ignorance or carelessness of users of milking machines. "The gospel of cleanliness has been > consistently preachod by tho Dairy Division and but-tor-malcers for years. They recogniso tiliafc without a strict adherence to hygieii'ic principles, which will t cn&uro pure and well-preserved material, tho manufacturer is handicapped can never produce tho best articlo. Given puro milk or crcam, landed 1 fresh at the factory, the New' Zealand butter-maJcer, witli Ehlis expert knowledge and the machinery that lie has at liaiid, caai produce tho bast butter in the world. Ho cannot do much good, however, with bad and indifferent material. > This is where responsibility rests with tho .farmer. There would be 110 need for a neutralising agent if diw cleanliness were univer-sally-observed and precautions taken to cool tho cream immediately after separations, and to deliver it at the. factory witlhin. a reasonable time. In. all cases whero it is possible* to do so, a dauv delivery of cream should bo insisted •upon-. ' Again there is a strong element of risk in permitting tho use of any ingredient that will open the door to competition between opposing panics. If it was a recognised rule with all manufacturing concerns that cream or milk rejected at one factory as- being of inferior quality would not on any account bo accepted at another factory, farmers probably find' it convenient to make moro frequent deliveries, and exerofso greater care 111 preserving tlio quality of tho cream. 'ITho keenness of competing ■ factories m their eagerness to secure suppliers fosters a spirit of independpnee among tho producers, who know that they can play one buyer off against the other, and practically forco thorn to accept their cream, regardless of its condition, \yhuia these .practices exist, which strike at the very root of true co-operation', thoro is little prospect for thorough reform How far the restrictions of the Health Department will affect this feature of tho business remains to bo seen. Sulhcient has been said to show that the question under notice is hedged m with many, difficulties, which will' require careful consideration. It is. understood that tho whole question will be discussed at an early date by those most intimately concerned 1 , and no doubt Eome ® atisfactory way will be found to meet the case."