MISLEADING WRAPPERS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 51, 1 March 1930, Page 10

MISLEADING WRAPPERS

"WASTE OF PUBLIC MONEY"

CONSUMERS DECEIVED

United Press Association—By Electric Tele

I Eraph—CopyriuUt (Received Ist March. 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, 28th February. A number of representatives'of the farming and dairying interests, cattle societies, and housewives societies, inspected the wrappers used for blended butters which, though not stated to be English, conveyed the impression that the contents were English, as they bore the names of famous dairy districts with pictures of English pastoral scenes. At a subsequent mooting Sir W. A. Wayland, M.P., described the wrappers as a "gross deception" to the consumers. He added that approximately 1,600,000 cwt fg butter was Wended in England annually, of which 1,200 000 cwt was foreign and 320,000 Australian •and New Zealand, while only SOOOewt came from English farms and other, Empire sources. Blended butter was selling about threepence a pound dearer than Empire, and it seemed a waste of public money for the Empire Marketing Board to ■ exhort the housewife to buy British when millions of pounds' worth of foreign butter was being sold under labels which were anything but an indication of its true origin. The meeting appointed a deputation to wait on the Minister of Agriculture to urge the inclusion of butter in the Merchandise Marks Act, thus, making it.compulsory'for the wrapper to indicate the source of tho origin. Mr. King, of the Australian Dairy Board, and Mr. Walter Wright, of New Zealand, supported the motion. \ BLENDERS IN DEFENCE. . A leading butter blender afterwards 'said that he could not accept Sir William Wayland's figures of the- proportions of butter blended. He estimates that fully 80 per cent, of the butter used by r blenders came from Australia, New Zealand, and the Irish Free State. He pointed out that blenders purchased the best colonial butters, and without their demand the prices throughout the season would be 6s to 10s a ewt lower. He added that the blenders will do their utmost to hold their trade, even if compelled/.o make known the high qualities of the butters blended, especially those made from' Continental butters. It cannot be denied, he said, that these are much fresher than colonial butters, and their production had increased enormously. A DROP IN PRICES. The arrival of 200,000 boxes of Australian and New Zealand butter this week has resulted in prices being lower than for some years. Empire butter should now be Obtainable for Is 5d to Is 6d per Ib. ' •