FARM BUTTER

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 July 1946, Page 3

FARM BUTTER

REPLACING FACTORY PRODUCT

SALES NEW COUPON SCHEME WELLINGTON, July 29. Licensed retailers will be able to sell farm (or dairy.) butter to registered customers at the rate of one pound of butter for every coupon after August 5. At present farm butter is sold at the same coupon rating as factory butter, half a pound for every coupon. The intention of the change, which was announced this evening by the Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan) is to encourage the makers of farm butter io sell it to retail shops, which, it Is believed, will find a ready sale for it at the lower coupon rating. This will release factory butter for export to Britain. There will be three coupons for each four weekly period as in the case of factory butter. Mr. Sullivan said that with the cooperation of traders and farmers the scheme should result in the release of a substantial amount of factory butter from local sale. The Government had been considering for some time placing dairy butter at a discount as far as coupons were concerned, but it was deemed desirable first to give full trial to the alternative measure of the collection of all available farm butter for use in manufacturing. It had been found, however, that in many country districts dairy butter could, for different reasons, be utilised only for household consumption," and in these districts retailers had been unable to find purchasers for the product at the same coupon value as factory butter. As a result an unknown quantity had been sold privately without coupons, and some householders had in addition continued to draw their full rations of factory butter.

“Under the new system makers of dairy butter are urged to sell to storekeepers who, in turn, should have no difficulty in disposing ot the butter at half the ordinary coupon value,” said Mr. Sullivan. “If this is done, then for every pound of dairy butter sold half a pound of factory butter will be released for export. I am confident that those concerned will give their full support to this further move to save more butter for Britain.” Mr. Sullivan added that rationingofficers had received full instructions on working the new system, and those country stores and others who were able to handle the product should communicate with, their local rationing officers to ascertain the approved method of keeping a check on the quantities handled.