BUTTER & MARGARINE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1927, 9 December 1913, Page 10

BUTTER & MARGARINE.

4 amclo-australiam conference IN LONDON. XEW IMPERIAL LAWS PROPOSED. The movement in support of legislation to protect- the consumer against tin; illicit sale of margarine as a substitute for butter received unanimous endorsement recently at. a conference in London at, which delegates of the principal agricultural and dairying organisations of the Vnited Kingdom and of Australia and New Zealand, and also the official representatives ol the Federal Governments of Australia, the Dominion Government- of New Zealand, and the State Goyerinlients of New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and Tasmania were present.

The discussion took place in private, bilt it is understood that tho conference was unanimously of opinion that legislation was necessary to prevent the sale of margarine under conditions calculated io mislead the public into tho belief that it is a kind of butter. Resolutions ujiou which if, is proposed to •?oimd legislation having this objcct in view wore agreed to, and aut-horilv was given for submitting them to the" Government in duo course by a deputation Irom the conference. Is was, however, decided that the terms of tho resolutions should not, be disclosed -until they had been laid before tho Minister of Agriculture. Inquiries made by a representative of the "Morning Post" among experts in tho butter trade elicited the cenerftl opinion that the first-class ■ grades of English, Danish, New Zealand, and Australian butter lmve nothing to fear from tho competition of margarine as a butter substitute. 0110 authority said "Danish and New Zealand butters aro uniformly of such high grade that they havo a market of their own altogether abovo and beyond ailything that ths margarine manufacturers can supply, and the same thing is true of the best qualities of English ami Australian butter. It is the cheaper grades of English and Australian butter that\ suiter in tho competition of margarine. The section of the public—and it is Ijt far tho biggest section—ivhieli used to buy tho cheaper grades of butter has found out that first-class margarine is moro palatable and much cheaper than second or- third-class butter, and equally wholesome, if not more so. And they aro buying margarine in increasing quantities overy year, as is shown by our steadily growing imports. Three years ago margarine was coming into " this country from abroad at iho rate of 4000 tons a month; last- rear it' avcraccd 3000 tons n- month, and this year it is 6000 tons.' I do not know what the' home manufacture amounts to, but I believe it is progressing at an oven greater rate than the imports, and it seems to be pretty certain that the English, Irish, or Scottish biitier producer who seeks to market anything but tho highest-class butter will find his product, ousted by tho better qualities of margarine.""

Another .authority drew attention to tho following passage in a report furnished to the Government of Victoria by tho State's representative in England, which, he said, accurately represented the Considered opinion of the majority of tho London bitter trade, at least as faros imports from Australia were concerned :— "I would reiterate that the demand for margarine- in this country is exceedingly great, that there is every prospect, of an enormous increase, and that every effort should bo made by our exporters to send to "this country only butter of tlie highest class. This, I am sure, will bo more 'remunerative to them as tho demand for secondary butters must eontinuo to diminish in eoiiscquonco of the cheap price of margarine, and in this connection you may lie disposed to consider the advisability of making compulsory tho grading of cream in the Stato. You may take it that tlieso views represent the general consensus of opinion in trade circles and among thoso who are conversant with the butter trade here."