INCREASING USE OF MARGARINE

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23088, 2 August 1940, Page 8

INCREASING USE OF MARGARINE

, — : ■ ■■■ ■ ♦ ‘ . Effect on Sales of N.Z. Butter POSITION IN BRITAIN v DISCUSSED tTBZSS ASSOCIATIO* ttMOßilt.) WELLINGTON, August 1. “People are just drifting away from butter to margarine,” said Mr W, A. Simpson, who recently returned to New Zealand from- a 17 months’ Visit to the United Kingdom, in an address to the United Kingdom Manufacturers ' and New Zealand Representatives’ Association. Mr Simpson remarked on the effect the increasing consumption of margarine would have Oh New Zealand’s butter exports. Margarine had the vitamins, and first grade sold at 8d a pound, and second grade at 6d a pound; There was no restriction oh its purchase, and it was guaranteed made fresh every day, and in the consumers’ hands within a week of manufacture. The butter ration was four ounces a person a week. "New Zealand butter has gone off the market as such," Mr Simpson said. "It is sold as ‘Empire butter.* Pour ounces of butter a week is no use to anybody, so can you blame the people for going to margarine? What is to happen to the money the people of this country have spent pushing their, butter if it all has to be done over again after the war?” . t Mr Simpson suggested that the economic position or Great Britain might prevent her taking butter from New Zealand, and. asked what the effect on New Zealand's budget would be. He remarked that the agricultural effort of the British Government was of great importance to New. Zealand, as. a primary producing country. At the outbreak of war the Government had set.out to bring into production as"much as possible of land not previously productive. By the end of March 2,000,000 additional acres were available, farmers having received a subsidy based on the acreage ploughed. The aim was to bring into production another 3,000,000 acres next season. Many parks and reserves had been split up into allotments, for which the workers balloted.