THE BUTTER TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 March 1922, Page 5

THE BUTTER TRADE.

INTERESTING' SIDELIGHTS. BRITISH RETAILERS' POSITION. An interesting article on the British butter trade has appeared in The Grocers’ Journal which throws considerable light on tiie complexities of the market and the vagaries of public taste. The Prices Investigation Committee of Pontypridd has been holding an inquiry into the retail prices of butter, and Mr. T. Jeremy, a member of the federation, and a past president of the local Provision Merchants’ Association, has tendered an illuminating report on behalf of the retail trade. Addressing a public meeting on the same subject, he maintained that the violent upward and downward movement in prices was not the result of supply and demand, but of speculation. “During control,” he said, “the gambling element, as iar as distributing agents were concerned, was non-existent because all Butters were bought through the Government. I am not quite certain whether the Government was im-

mune from gambling, but I have my degree of doubt. This country, as we all know, is not self-sustaining in its manufacture of butter. It has to import 80 to 85 per cent, of its requirements from all parts of the globe—Australia and New Zealand send their quota, Canada, United States, Argentina, Denmark, Holland, Norway, and bur immediate neighbors, the Irish, also. The principal imports of butter are from Denmark, New Zealand, and Ireland, and fiie supplies from these countries govern the market, such as it is. West Wales supplies a good portion during the season. We also get into these valleys butter from Somerset, Devon, Wiltshire, and, in fact, all the western countries. But, singular to

relate, it does not signify that because we get butter from, say, Carmarthenshire or Pembrokeshire, that we get the produce of these counties. Neither does it signify that the pats and rolls from Devon and the other counties are the produce of those counties. It is quite possible that butter is imported and goes largely into the mixing of the native product to supply the needs of the industrial districts. THE BUTTER STANDARD. “This does not, of course, imply that the quality of the butter is thereby reduced, or its purity impaired, because a wise Government has thought fit to put a standard of purity on the butter, which standard protects the consumer from buying a deleterious mixture. Fortunately, for the consumer, this standai'd of purity is high. Butter, sold as ■butter,’ must be the product of milk without added mixture, excepting salt and some coloring matter. Therefore, butter which the consumer buys, irrespective oi its flavor or grade, must be the product of milk, and must not contain more than .06 per cent, of moisture. You will realise that the kinds and qualities of butter are legion, made up in all kinds and conditions of containers -—from Volb and lib pats of the local product, the tubs, firkins, crocks, and boxes, of Ireland, casks of Denmark, baskets of Normandy, and 11b rolls from Italy. The tradesman has to be on his guard, indeed —if he values his customers —to be particular in buying only the best of these various butters. But the difficulty is this —how can the best butter be described because of this variety? Take, for instance, Ireland, with its scores of creameries. There must of necessity be some of those creameries placed in richer districts than others, and, consequently, the value of that butter commands a better price than the butter of the less rich districts. VAGARIES OF TASTE. “Then take the ways and means of manufacture. The best Irish butter, which is called ‘Centrifugal’ or ‘creamery’ butter, coinmauds the best prices. Then, again, we get the ‘factory’ or ‘separator’ butter—all of which is brought about by a distinct means of manufacture. But even this is all pure butter, and conforms with the laws of the land. Then take New Zealand or Australian butter, and the same thing applies. There are first, second, and third grades. All these grades are useful. Possibly in one locality Irish factory butter is sold principally, and in that locality is called the best, whereas in another place the consumers will have none of it. The texture and flavor

would not appeal to their tastes, and higher grade butters would have to be kept. The same thing goes on in shops. There are bo two shops alike in clientele. One often finds even in the same street that one grocer cannot sell but the very choicest of butters. His patrons have been educated to the best class of butter, whereas across the road or down the street another grocer’s patrons are of a different type. The latter can sell as his best possibly a second grade> of butter, and his customers are perfectly satisfied with their purchases. There are also so many kinds of best butter. One man might sell a second grade of good quality butter and call it his best, and without any higher price. There is a distinction, say, between best New Zealand and, say, best Australian butter. They are both ‘best’ in their own countries, but in several respects widely differ, and there is a big margin of pnee in the wholesale prices of eacn. Therein lies the difficulty of getting at the relative values of the butters which sold.