NEW MARGARINE INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 205, 24 May 1919, Page 2

NEW MARGARINE INDUSTRY

TRIUMPH FOR BRITISH ENTERPRISE

FROM IMPORT TO EXPORT

. (By-Sir Leo- Chiozza Honey, in tho • "Daily .News,") • 'My path in this war has been from timei to time made slippery, but not ex- ' aotly .eased, .by tlu: ureal; fat question. J! li'st,' thera ivas the problem of blockading tho enemy in respect of fat; • ■ >>'p slight task, that. .Then. there was tho question of obtaining priority for oil and margarine machinery. Then camp, tho question of gotting fat for ourselves, in spite of the submarines, which, • unfor- ■ {Unafclj-, had been complicated by lack Oi'u'roper precautions in l'Jli-Ki. Well, we are through with it, uot so fat as wo wore, some of us, but,' nevertheless/attained. lo the jillv point of burning out margarine coupons.. We can buy a whole .'..hundredweight without , qualm of conscience, and begin to resume a "proper convexity. More, wo can, not only eat as much, fat hs we need, but wo have actually a margarine capacity largo .enough, .to enable' .-us .to export. I'ha change which has been accomplished is exceedingly oreditable to British industry, and it calk'tor special notice. * Before thi war wo imported about one. half of thOlftrgarjna wo oonsumed.. Although- we 'iiatf within the British Empire the finest supplies of oleaginous materials in the world, ivo were quite content for the Continent: to be the chief market for tliefti, find for Continental chemists to ■work out tho nice problem of changing oils into edible fats resembling butter. All Imports Stopped. Tn 1911-we imported from tho Continent, mainly from Holland (Germany needed her big production for .her own consumption) i,529,000cwt. of margarine, while we, produced.. 1,726,000cwt. at home. In 1915 we imported 2,052,000cwt,, and produced 2,231,000cwt.at home, The consumption of margarine increased as butter supplies fell off, and' has gone on increasing. -At tho end of margarine rationing the British domestic rationed consumption has risen tp 5000 tons per week, or 5,200,000cwt. a year; this, be it remembered, is. apart from Army and Navy consumption. ■ -British margarine factories now furnish' tho entiro supply. If we" turn to tho latest Board of Trade returns 'We find no entry of imported margarine. Tho 2.052,000 cwt. of imports" of 1915' have fallen to nil. • > . . • Not only so, but wo are iu a position to export. The capacity of our factories now exceeds all British - domestic, naval, and military requirements bv 1500 tons ■ a-week, or 1,560;000 tf.vt. a year. Here is a summary of the change which has'occurred:— Cwt. 1914—Imports of margarine- 1,529,000 1919—Capacity to export marga-' rine after, satisfying • homo requirements 1,-560,000 And the. sooner we got peace and the power to supply this good food to those who need it' tho better for humanity as a whole, and for ourselves A Chain of Industries. . But it is not alone that wo have established a great margarine industry in the stross of war. We have— . (1) Mado . .the United Kingdom the European market'for oleaginous produce. (2) Established adequate crushing plant, and "' (3) Established adequate refining plant. We'havo therefore crealcd the-following important chain of production on a new arid adequate scale:— , Oleaginous Material. . • j; Crushing Plant -. ■ 1 ' i - ~| Oihrefining Oil-seed Cake Margarine-. • Meat Milk ■-iif t ,i ' - , , Butter, 'Cheese ,iVc shall get from.,the'imported seeds ; ;and nuts not only enough margarine!for •.ourselves and a balance for export, but, ' Ajj La /by-product of seed-crushing, plenty of cattlercako. and hence more meat, ■milk, butter, .and cheese. Odd that tho pursuit .of imitation butter should give more real gutter!. It hasn't como . .along yet, ..but.it is coming. On December 31, 1914, I wrote:—"The British Empire _ has within its borders the mosFTuJendid stores of raw materials for nijU'snriiiL'-making. You would have ..thought, it. the most natural thing in tho world for the' British Empire to be supplied with sufficient intelligence to crush its own nuts and seeds, lo study the product scientifically, and, as a proud manufacturing. nation-, to make not only enough margarine for itself, . but for inainy other, peoplo beside," . In' four years this ..work has been done, and well done. Many oilier. .Insks of the same kind remain to do. Wo have a splendid workshop, good'coaj! nearL'the sea, and fine, ports into which to- bring tlio materials of all the world. A. word must lie added as to the great and successful work of the Ministry of Pood, in organising and distributing 'margarine. It lias brought us with marvellous success through tho leanest time in our history, not only by successful .rationing, but by scientific wholesale distribution and transport, and by insisting upon a good standard margarine. Those who kmiw and understand the Wonderful ■ task which has been accomplished will not neglect to. pay thanks to those whoso work safeguarded the'community and brought us to tlio position iiv which that work is no longer necessary. '

,i - Oil-refining Margarine