FAKING OF COLONIAL BUTTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1993, 31 January 1907, Page 1

FAKING OF COLONIAL BUTTER.

SOME EXPERT OPINIONS. An intcresing interview on the buttei question at Home was given to a jVZ. Herald reporter by Mr A. B. Graliam, .inn., who lias recently arrived in the colony from England on a health trip, and who has taken much interest in the butter question at Home. He explained that a committee had been set up recently in the Old Country to consider what furher legislation is required to secure the better control of the trade in butter and buttor substitutes. A report had been presented by the committee, which would be considered during the coming session of the House of''Commons. Some of —Umrecominendattons liad~a~iai-«,u.ol» ug effect and should bo closely studied by all interested in the butter industry. The following are the recommendations :—That no fat, other than butter fat, and no vegetable or other oils, nor any substance capable of being used as an adulterant of blitter should be brought into, or stored, or allowed to be in any registered butter factory; that no substance be added to butter whereby the percentage of moisture is increased ; that the addition to but'ter at any stage of the process of manufacture of any fat not derived from milk be expressly ond directly prohibited ; that no margarine be imported containing more than 16 per cent, of moisture; that penalties for the importation of adulterated butter should bo proportionate to the magnitude of the consignment ; that all practicable steps be taken to bring about international agreements as to the prevention of adulteration; that nothing shall be sold under the name of butter which contains more than 16 per cent, of moisture; that substances other than butter (not being margarine) containing butter-fat may be sold, with a limit of 24 per cent, of moisture, under a name approved by the Board of Agriculture, provided that such name should not 1 be calculated to prejudice the sale of the article.

THE BLENDING SYSTEM. The most important recommendation so far as the colony was concerned, said Mr Graham, was that butter having been treated by any process shall not be allowed to be replaced in tlm original packages. He was one of the prime movers in making objections to some of the recommendations of the committee, and in a letter to Sir Thomas H. Elliott, K.C.R., secre tnry of the Board of Agriculture ho said that “one would imagine fiom some of the ’ ocommendat'. ms of tin committee that it was composed of persons strongly prejudiced in favor of the trade in adulterated butter. ’ He. also pointed out that margarine, as long as it was not drugged with boracic acid, was a wholesome food, and being usually sold at a lower rato than butter should not, in the interests of tho poor, bp discouraged. Milk-blended butter, also having in it a possible and very serious danger to public health land especially to dolicato children, who consume considerable quantities of butter), should be absolutely prohibited. It was suroly unnecessary for him to point out that this milk-blondcd butter trade was certain to undo tho splendid work of the agricultural colleges. The British Medical Association also viewed with strong disfavor the use of drugs, such as boracic acid in dairy produce. Ho was not against the “working together’’ or “blending” of butter, provided that in doing so no margarine or other butter substitute was added to it. He considered the public taste or demand for colored butter quite absurd, because tho white and colorless butter migljj; bo much superior to the colored article.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE. The trade In milk-blended butter, Mr Graham continued, should be absolutely prohibited. Milk blended butter might bo defined as improperly made butter, and such butter would always be a serious danger tb the public health. Milk-blended butter, in addition, could not bo kept for any length of time, hence the temptation, or perhaps he should say the necessity, to overcome this difficulty by the use of boracic acid and other drugs. In caso the seriousness of the matter was lost sight of, he pointed out that milk and separated skim milk were a perfect food for pathogenic and other bacilli, jnd it followed that the having of butter-milk in butter, or the adding of milk or solidified skim-milk to butter, was not only manufacturing an article which could not keep any length of time, unless drugged, but it was also placing on the market an article which might easily prove a serious danger to public health. The worst form of adulteration, he went on to sav, was the mixing of boracic acid in butter—it was an abominable practice. Both Australia and New Zealand have great dairying possibilities, and their butter production might easily double or treble itself, but the colonial butter-makers would have to tackle this question of boracic acid. He did not think it was a really difficult problem. The salting of the butter was an entirely different matter, and the fact of its being used was not disclosed to the public, but each buyer might easily satisfy himself concerning its presence The great majority of people, moreover, demanded salt in their butter. The late Dr. Gresswell, chairman of the Board of Public Health, Victoria, had. declared that “unless filth was present in milk, boracic or salicylic

acid did not remove its ill-effects ; it | merely hold them in cheek, and they I were l'rco to do their mischief as soon, for instance, as dilution by water occurred. Thus, tho dirty dairyman, who was a curse to civilisation, and tlie clean dairyman, who was a blessing, woro placed on the same level, since borncic acid made the milk of both equally acceptable to the layman.” The exporting of unsaltcd butter, continued Mr Graham, was an important matter for the colonial dairyman, for the butter lent itself so readily to faking purposes, and ho fully believed the major portion was used for Faking, to the groat detriment. of tho colonial article. Ho had received a letter from a gentloman holding an appointment from an English firm, and who was told to fake no New Zealand and Australian butters with a foreign fat called lardino. Ho objected to lend himself to this, and he was then instructed to put from 20 to 30 per cent, of moisture into the butter, while the maximum allowed in the colony is 15 per cent 1 . They knew that a very considerable amount of unsaltcd butter had been shipped Home even this season. What wore the consequencos? Now that the market had dropped, unsalted butter was only fetching 3s to 4s loss per cwt. than tho salted article. There was no doubt in his opinion that this had something to do with the big drop in the market at Home. Tho cjuestion was a very serious one. and should be taken up by all tho dairymen’s associations in the colony. Tho visit of tho Premier (Sir .Joseph Ward) to the Old Country came at a favorable time,and he should be asked to interview the responsible authorities at Homo, and place tho colonial position strongly before tho British auhoritics, and especially urge that tho faking of butter should ho made an offenco under the law. The a gents-general of the colonies should bo instructed also to oppose the clause fixing the limit of moisture at 24 per cent. MR. KINSELLA ON THE QUESTION.

Ail important reference to the question of unsalted butter is made by the Chief Dairy Commissioner (Mr J. A. Kinsella), in a recent report. Among other things he said that ‘last season there was a greater demand than ever for unsalted butter, and, unfortunately for the reputation of our dairy industry, a number of the Now Zealand producers were only too anxious to take advantage of the slightly longer price offered for this class of goods, regardless of what might happen to the goods afterwards or of what the ultimate effect of our going in for the manufacture of this class of butter may be on our dairy industry as a whole. . . If we are to allow numerous systems to be introduced into our factories by the various representatives of Home firms it is bound to lead to serious interference with our present reliable system, which from the beginning had uniformity for its aim. . . With regard to the large quantities of unsalted butter exported last season, I did not oxpect to find or hear of any serious complaints ns regards tlio quality, for the reason that I expected that the bulk of it would find its way to the blenders. I do not for one moment mean to say that salted butter is not treated by the blenders, but I do say that our fairly dry, pale, unsalted butter lends itself much more readily to adulterating and blending than a heavily salted butter, therefore the former quality answers the purpose to a nicety, and is calculated to encourage this fraudulent ‘doctoring’ and handling of our butter.” The Assistant-Dairy Commissioner (Mr D. Cucklie) makes the following interesting statement on the question :—“lt- is understood that practically the whole of the saltless butter exporte.'l from New Zealand finds its way into the hands of blenders, by whom it is treated in such a manner that the volume is increased by from 2o to 40 per cent This nefarious practice must eventually result in lowering the price of pure butter all round if persisted in; at the same time it must be remembered that salt butter is also used for blending pur-

pgsrarfTTrorPTCT-c inirnii'ii! un.- ui mu dairy factories refusing to supply butter without salt would not in itself discourage the people who are carrying on the blending business. They would in all likelihood continue to use salted butter for the same purpose, and be content with a less profit, so long as it suited their requirements. The solution of the wholo question of faking New Zealand or other colonial butters must, in my opinion, be left to the authorities who are responsible to the British public for the control and sale of pure butter. The purchaser who is willing to pay the market price for pure butter should have some guarantee against fraud, and the faker should bo compelled to brand his goods with a true description of the composit ion of same, as nothing short of the enforcement of a stringent legislative enactment by the Imperial Government will, so far as I understand the question,protect the producers in this colony and the oonsumer at Home.”