Page 5 Advertisements Column 1

NZ Truth, 15 March 1924, Page 5

BUTTER, WATER, AND ACID

The Misting Butter In A Pound Whet It Represents m Money, at Current Price. Herein it is alleged that the public, every time it buys a pound of butter, really buys 13 ounces 113 grains of butter} that the missing 2 ounces 247 grains, valued at the price at whioh butter Is sold, is worth 4.061 pence) and that the gain to the seller, represented by this unapplied butter (as apart from the profit made on the supplied buttor) is equal to more than half-a-million sterling a year m New Zealand alone. But if s pound of butter was all butter, would it — and could itbe supplied at the present price? (To the Editor of "Truth.") Sir, — Will you please explain away the figures that I am sending you? Tho butter-wrapper put round a pound (?) of butter says that the nett weight of contents ls ls*Uozs (why not lib?) and that tho boric acid included is 35 grains. It ls published that not more than 16.5 per cent, of moisture is allowed, consequently my working la based on the printed figures quoted, viz.: Ono so-called pound of butter equals 15% ounces. Ozs. Grs. IG*£ ounces 15 360 Deduct 15.5 per cent. moisture 2 212 13 148 Deduct 35 grains boric acid „ 35 13 113 Thus 13 ounces 113 grains is tho nett weight of one so-called pound of butter. To bring the abovo pound, or fraction of a pound, to the ton, multiply by 2240. That gives 29,647 1/3 ounces, equal to 1853 pounds. But as there aro 2240 pounds m a ton, the 1853 pounds of butter represents a shortage of 887 pounds m a ton. It follows that 387 pounds shortage, at tho price of 1/11% for a so-called pound of butter, Is equal to a shortage ln money value of £37 17a 10% d per ton.' If tho present prico of ono so-called pound of butter Is 23.5 ponce, then tho 13 ounces 113 grains Is worth 19.139 pence (a difference of 4.061 ponce), ho that thc public pays for missing butter to tho extent of 4.061 pence m tho socalled pound. On the assumption that 750.000 people m this Dominion consume but one pound of butter, per capita, weekly, these butter-fat kings nett betwoen them — on their short-weight system--£12,690 12s Od for that period ami the hugo sum total of £659,912 10s per annum! . How muoh. therefore, do fw human cormorants gorge from the ever-robbed general public on the actual weight of 13 ounces and IIS «rom:» (1307.s 4dwtn 17 Bra) to the 80---cnllotl pound. In the way of profit. In addition to tho £059.912 10s? Perhaps .Mr. Mas Hoy may bo able to toll usl Trusting that you will publish this ! tetter nnd thanking you m anticipation therefor, I am. etc.. O. M. DES LANDES, Wellington, ■_!___«_