RUTTER TRADE MENACE

Feilding Star, Volume 8, Issue 2540, 3 October 1931, Page 8

RUTTER TRADE MENACE

UK R AIXIA X I»RODUCT USE OF MAORI NAMES A DECEIVING IMITATION “Attempts are being made to minimise the menace of Russian butter, but 1 will tell you what I saw in London.” said Mr. 11. G. Law. a prominent Bay of Plenty farmer and a director of the Taurangn Dairy Company who has returned alter a six months* visit to Britain. *1 was standing on Hay’s Wharf, on the Thame>. just near London Bridge with one of the consignees who is handling New Zealand butter, and watched a Russian ship land 4000 I>oxes of X'krainian butter. The boxes were of Norwegian pine, exactly similar in shape. size and weight to the boxes in which New Zealand butter is placed on the English market. They hor a round shaped brand which looked just like the New Zealand brand without the fern leaf. The lettering of course, was different. but noticed what looked like Maori names occurring frequently. It quite deceived me at first hut on closer inspection I found that although typical Maori names had been given to the Russian brands, minor alterations had lieen made in certain letters. To anyone hut a New Zealander they must appear to he Maori names and 1 have no hesitation in saying that the majority of English people would unquestionably be deceived into believing that they were boxes of New Zealand butter. So real is the menace tnat in a number of large London shops were displayed placards announcing that Siberian butter wft* not stocked there.”