Farm and Dairy.
MAHHAKINE BOOM. A HUGE DEMAND CREATED. A COUNTER MOVE NEEDED. Writes Mr. It. Ellison of the Natioiul Dairy Association, now in London: As one of the loading butter-produc-ing dominions of the Empire, I feel that the time is fast approaching when our Dominion, in conjunction with other butter-producing countries, will require to take some action to defend the butter market against the ever-increasing inroads of margarine. If we go back a few years, say to 1900, we find that the importation of margarine in England wag 46,000 tons; to-day this lias readied the alarming quantity of 55,000 tons, or 2,200.000 %cwt. boxes. New Zealand butter imported into England is only 1 tons.
All that science and diemistry can do has been employed towards the perfecting of this article, with the result that the margarine of to-day 'has been so far improved that it is indistinguishable from butter except to the expert. In the etvly years of its existence margarine was ignored as being of no consequence, later it was ridiculed on account of its basis of origin, hilt to-day neither neglect nor ridicule can have the slightest efl'ect in the direction of checking its consistently increasing use; it is now established as an article of food, more especially amongst the poorer classes of the community, to whom butter was a luxury. Gradually the public, or rather that section of the community who use it exclusively, have come to look upon it as the same as butter; it is sold as a substitute for butter, not as margarine, but as "overweight,'' a term which lias been derived from the fact that it is sold round about the price of butter, but overweight is given in such proportion as to reduce the cost per lb. to less than half that of butter. This means its respectability is enhanced by being ranged alongside of butter. T0 ask for one pound of shilling "over- | weight" appears to be much more attractive to some people than to ask for one pound of sixpenny margarine. To ask right out for margarine suggests a lowered social standard whicli must be guarded against at all cost, therefore, many housewives circumnavigate this by ordering "servants' butter" at sixpence, or "cooking butter" at the same price, which is, of course, an impossibility, but the grocer knows his business and sends along margarine, and this means that margarine is gaining ground. EXTENSIVELY ADVERTISED. Turning to the Press, wc find extensive advertisements setting forth the advantages accruing from the use of margarine, which is advertised as "Nuts and milk." In all directions hoardings arc to be seen carrying huge advertisements for "Nuts and milk," sandwich- 1 men parade the streets informing the | million that margarine is what they want 1 The provision trade papers, such as the Grocei\, and Grocers' Gazette, are studded with margarine advertisements, "from time to time interesting articles appear in support of this article, and quite a number of editorials extolling I margarine and advice to the grocery trade to push it more and more. Provision trade shop windows are to be seen in all parts of the metropolis filled with margarine exhibits and advertise- < ments.
It may be true tlmt good quality butter willalways find a good market, and in the competition which is goinft to develop New Zealand butter by virtue of its quality will not suffer to the same extent as other imported butters; nevertheless, our butter must suffer in proportion. The question now arises: What stop?, if any, are the butter-producing countries going to take to keep before the consuming public the undoubted advantages from a dietetic point possessed by butter as against margarine? It mav be that the near fntnre will find a diminution in our output of better. Recent developments in the Unitmi States »f America will have the effect of still further increasing our cheese production, and many more factories now making butler will go into cheese. We will still, however, have for .many years a surplus of butter. The time has, I think, arrived when our Dominion should, iu conjunction with the Australian Commonwealtth and the Ijnglish "butter-producers, tnkit some united action towards keeping before the public the necessity there still exists for the regular use of butter.
BUTTER PRODUCERS APATHETIC. As I have said, on every hand and'by all kinds of means margarine is advertised; money is spent freely on defending it, while one might say not a pound is spent in the defence of butter. The present high price ruling for butter is no excuse for apathy; margarine will only further benefit thereby, and next year we may see the result. I think some, determined and united effort should be undertaken to form a Butter Defence Association, and the cooperation of all those both in the United Kingdom and the British Dominions interested in butter-manufacturing should be sought. Sir Ceo. Watson, chairman of the Maypole Dairy Company, in a recent controversy in the Grocer, stated that his companv sell more margarine than the entire "output of butter from t,!ie Australian Commonwealth; therefore, this one company are accountable for the sale of something like 1,200,000 boxes of margarine, or 30,000 tons, all , of which is of British manufacture, and is therefore not included in tl.e figures triven at the. commencement of my letter. This is a striking illustration of the colossal sale of this article, besides which there are quite a number of othci margarine works in England, apart altogether from the Maypole Dairy Com--1 p an y- , , . Several ineffectual attempts have been made to induce the Imperial Parliament to prohibit colouring in margarine. which at present gives it the appearance of butter, but it is hopeless to expect anv such assistance. The .margarine interests are united; and have focused their energies in opposing this, and, so far, have been successttil.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 193, 13 February 1914, Page 3
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975Farm and Dairy. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 193, 13 February 1914, Page 3
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