MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

Evening Star, Issue 14164, 14 September 1909, Page 3

MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

A REPLY TO MR FOREMAN

[From Our Special Correspondent.]

LONDON, August 6. The remarks of Mr J. Foreman, president of the National Dairy Association, at I’alnierstou on June 22 regarding the i| nest ion of excessive moisture in New Zealand butter appear to have been made under a misapprehension of fait. Whatever tests in New Zealand may have disclosed, it is solid fact that a very considerable quantity of New Zealand butter, hailing from various districts, found its way to England, and was there discovered to contain more than the English legal maximum in moisture—i.e., over 16 per cent. No one hero supposed for a moment that the excess of moisture was the result of anything save carelessness, iiml many people people interested in the business put their hands right on the spot when they put the excess down to want of knowledge of the working of the combined churn.

Nobody here, so far as I know, ever breathed a word suggesting any attempt at fraud on the part'of the New Zealand buttermakers. The worst thing I heard said was “ This comes of their taking bad advice and trying to ret tin: last ounce of benefit for themselves out of our 16 per cent, limit. They have been encouraged to work right up to the Him, and, owing to that and their unfamiiiarity with the combined churn, they've stepped over it.” This was the remark of a London agent, who is familiar with the dairying industry from A to Z. Lut, as he explained, it doesn't in the least matter so far as the well-being of the trade at this end of the world is concerned how the excess of moisture arose. The' fact that it was present in many parcels received was very prejudicial to the trade, and caused no end of anxiety and trouble to those handling New Zealand butters here. The im°portei'/ managed to keep their troubles dark for the time being, and so saved the reputation of Now Zealand butter so far as the general public was concerned, but the trade, including the retailers, of course, knew all about the matter long before the question was asked in the House of Commons, and retailers have grown shy of handling the Now Zealand article for fear it might get them~ into trouble with the inspectors under the Food and Drugs Act. Whatever view may bo taken in New Zealand, it cannot be too strongly insisted upon that whether the quantity of over-moist butter made during the last season was large or small, sufficient found its way to London to do damage to New Zealand’s reputation in the Home butter markets, and that anv further carelessness on the part of makers can only mean a very, very serious setback to New Zealand’s progress in her dairy-produce trade with the Old Country.

Mr Foreman’s view that certain New Zealand journals did far more harm undrawing attention to the complaints regarding excessive moisture than the actual moisture contents of the butter itself is one with which I cannot agree. It was the duty of all journals with New Zealand's interests at heart to “make a song ” about this matter, and to keep on singing until steps were taken to rectifv the mistakes that were being made. Indeed, seeing what these mistakes, if continued even for a small space of time, nimht mean to a growing and profitable industry, I am inclined to think that even a little exaggeration on the part of the newspapers might have been justifiable, especially seeing that in the matter of adulteration—'that is what excess of moisture means when it comes to prosecution here—it would be useless for Xow Zealand to use the plea of the unfortunate servant girl : Please, mum, it was only a very little ’un, an’ I didn’t

mean to." New Zealand newepapers may have exaggerated the extent to which over-moist butter was made in the colony last season, but I have seen no journal published in the Dominion which has indulged in exaggerating the possible effects of the shipment of water-logged butters to the Old Country. They could not very well have done so if they had tried, for a continuance of shipments containing such butters would have completely damned the trade for an indefinite period.