MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 159, 22 November 1912, Page 2

MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

TWO DAIRY COMPANIES FINED. ! Two cases of interest to dairy factory companies were heard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M. The Bell Block Dairy Factory Company was charged with having attempted to export butter containing an excessive amount (over 16 per cent.) of water. Mr. C. H. Weston appeared in support of the complainant. On behalf of the defendant company, Mr. J. S. Connett (chairman of directors) pleaded guilty. j Mr. Weston stated that the Govern- ! ment Dairy Produce Department had i practically taken upon itself to guarantee that nothing but pure butter would leave the Dominion Especially was this in the interests of .the dairy factories themselves. The Department considered the regulation a very important one and one that should be rigidly enforced. The present information had not been laid without warning. There had been no previous convictions.

Mr. Connett admitted the contentionj of Mr. Weston that the company was j liable .and had received previous warn- j ings, but he pointed out that the pre- j sent manager had never been charged I with a similar offence before. He had I instructions to put as much moisture in! the butter without "running over the j danger line." In this case a test was not made,, owing to a break-down in n part of tlie machinery. He contended that in a case of this kind the particular mitigating circumstances should be taken into consideration. A warning should therefore suffice. He did not consider that on the particular day of the offence, wlien "things were so busy," that there" would be any excessive moisture in tlie butter. The present mana- | ger had not reecived any previous warnings. These had been given to his predecessor. Tn inflicting a fine of £ls, with costs £1 7s, the Magistrate said it was the com- J pany's business to see that its manager } complied with the Act. The Oakura Co-operative Dairy Factory Co. was similarly charged. On behalf of the defendant company, Mr. Roy entered a plea of guilty. Evidence was given by the manager for the defendant company that it was only on three mornings this season that he \ had neglected to take samples for moist-1 live. On these particular mornings > everything went wrong in the factory. | He had had no complaint against him j as manager. j Mr. Roy stated that the company was { dependent solely on its manager for working the factory. In the best regulated factories accidents would sometimes happen. Mr. Weston intimated that under a previous manager the company had been fined for a similar case in 1911.