PRICE AND QUALITY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 13

PRICE AND QUALITY

BUTTER FOR LOCAL MARKET

Questions regarding the (quality and price of • butter. sold, in-.- New. Zealand were.raised m the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, when the Dairy Produce Export Control • Bill was -under discussion., .. .- .. ,

The .Leader of the Opposition < (Mr. T. M. Wilford) wanted to know whether the Minister of Agriculture would agree tea clause being attached to the Bill providing that no factory butter could be sold in New Zealand unless graded by an official grader. He had received a letter asking him to bring .that, matter forward. '■■, ' '.- •

Mr." C.' E.. Macmillan^ (Tauranga) said that such' a.proposal would: make.it imipossibje. for.any factory, to sell batter until it had first of all sent the butter to a' grading port t<s be craded. ' Mr; A; L.' • Monteith :■ (Wellington East) :!!Stop them selling- water." Mr. R.. Masters; (Stratford) said the reason, for the suggestion was that tie quality -of butter , sold in some towns was not up-to'standard. There was cause for. complaint, and the proposal was intended '.t0... ensure' that: the consumers in^New' Zealand got as good.butter as consumers in'the Old Country. '.. Mr. VWilford .said 'that..after hearing the other side. he,; was satisfied the idea was impracticable. ..'-,'.. The Minister of: Agriculture' said that if'the proposal were; carried out butter made at Levin' would have to' be brought to Wellington to be-graded,- and then,be sent back to Levin before it- could be sold.' .'■'• ' ' ■.. -■■■■•.■.■ ■'■■'■.■' ..-' -:-.

Mr.';Wilford moved that a new clause be inserted ■-in-the Bill providing that the. wholesale price of'butter, for local consumption. shoujd be calculated" on a parity of. the'export t>.rice. -,:.,.. Mr. H.-E.'.Holland' (Buller) said.that so. far.: as he/knew there, was no .objection whatever to' the',principle of regu-' lating the price 'accordniar to'the export parity.' He, wanted:.to v know what theGovernment proposed t0.d0.. ■ . . The Prime_ Minister stated tlikt. during the war period that veijy question - had to be dealt with. ■ There., was always sufficient butter in "that .period,'to see the whole of- tha- population through' the winter months: There was no. dMculty then, with regard to the. price, at' which butter was to be. sold, either, arid he anticipated: no difficulty,after the Bill came into^operatjon. , "We are willing to' ask the House to agree to :a,.one-dause Bill, which will give us r thexopportunity of reappomtirig the Boardof Trade so as to enable them'to deal:with this matter" said Mr. Massey.; "It will be their business, and it will be the business of, the Government, to see", that it "is referred to the board and properly dealt with." ; Mr. J. R. Corngan (Patea) said that consumers should not have to pay a hrst-class price jor a second-class article, becond-grade butter was being placed on the New Zealand market to-day at London parity'prices.. Mr. -assey said that very large quantities of secona : class 'butter were exported from' New Zealand.: In the war period he noticed that .very, little but first-class'butter was used in New Zealand. He.; could not • recollect' «ver having a complaint. , , . •Mr.' Monteitti,;speaking as one 'srho had worked m butter flctoriea, tnat the maximum quantity-of .water, allowed^ was worked mto butter' intended for sale on the local market ■ . Mj. Macmillan said that Mr. Monteith did not know all' the provisions of tnelaw.. Not more than. 16 '.per cent of water could be added. Mr. ( Monteith.:' "They- make it up to ■ Mr. Macmilhai: '-'There is' no intention of _ any fa-:tory' taking . down the up for the companies, and say that they are honest, and; that, there is no M S s»ty -to bnng m any regulation." Mr. Monteith said ttat Mr. MacmiUan rt, M t e7a^ nS*e.i| sue, because he knew Mr. Wilford'B amendment was lost on the voices. 1' ••■•■• - - - .""