THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7937, 10 January 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1906.

Mr Juhu Holmes baa been contributing to the Lyttelton Times some particulars concerning the "faking" of butter in England, which are none the less interesting for being very disquieting from a New Zealand point of view. Mr Holmes points out that the frauds have assumed serious dimensions, and If they are not obecked must have a disastrous eEEect on the dairy industry here. He quotes from a pamphlet issued by Mesßrs Wall and Co, of Liverpool, an example uf the methods by which New Zealand butter is "blended" and "enriched." With a basis of 601b of New Zealand butter, valued at £5 3s per hundred weight, 1001b of the blended and enriched article costing £2 i6s 8d is produced by the addition of 301b

of "treated" and 101b of "solidified" milk. This is re-paoked in the original boxes, bearing the Government grading stamp, and is retailed as genuine New Zealand butter. The "faker" makes a huge profit upon every hundredweight of butler he handles, and as bis treatment affects neither the aDpeaiance nor the flavour of the article in any matked degree, there i 3 little chance of the ordinary consumer detecting bis operations. Of late, however, his success and his greed have led him into rather more extensive "blending" and "enriching," and the pablic, as well they might, have begun to look with suspicion upou New Zealand butter. For the moment the producer may not be suffering a great deal from the systematic adulteration. His business is so profitable that the "faker" can afford to pay full prices for the material on which his operations are based. But pooner or later if he is allowed to go on with his dishonest practices, the reputation of New Zealand butter will be gravely affected and lower prices will have to be accepted The Times, in dealiug with Mr Holmes' letter, uraes that vigorous steps should be taken to detect the frauds, and to prosecute the offenders. Unfortunate'y, the late English Government showed a strange reluctance to pass any legislation dealing with the adulteration of dairy products, and probably it would be extremely difficult to obtain a conviction against those who are dealing in doctored butter, but, as our contemporary suggests, two or three prosecutions would call attention to their methods and would do something to save the New Zealand article from the discredit - they are bringing upon it.