DRIFT OFF BUTTER

Grey River Argus, 3 August 1940, Page 10

DRIFT OFF BUTTER

British People on Margarine NZ. EXPORT OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD. WELLINGTON, August 1. “People are just drifting away from butter to margarine,” said Mr W. A. Simpson, who recently returned to New Zealand from a 17 months’ visit to the United Kingdom, in an address to the United Kingdom manufacturers and New Zealand Representatives’ Association. Mr Simpson remarked on the effect the increasing consumption of margarine would have on New Zealand’s butter exports. ■ Margarine had the vitamins, and first grade sold at 8d a pound, and second grade at 5d a pound. There was no restriction on its purchase, and it was guaranteed made fresh every day, and in the .consumers' hands within a week of manufacture. The butter ration was four ounces a person a week. “New Zealand butter has gone off the market as such,” Mr Simpson said. “It is sold as ‘Empire butter. Four ounces of. butter a week is no use to anybody, so can you blame the people for going to margarine? What is to happen to the money the people of this country have spent pushing, their butter if it all has to be done over again after the war?” Mr Simpson suggested that the economic position of Great Britain might prevent her taking butter from New Zealand, and asked what the effect on New Zealand’s budget would be. He remarked that the agricul-1 tural effort of the British Government was of great importance to New Zealand, as a primary producing country. At the outbreak of war, the Government had set out to bring into production as much as possible of land not previously productive. By the end of March, 2,000,000 additional acres were available, farmers having received a subsidy • based on the acreage ploughed. The aim was to bring into production another 3.000/’ 000 acres next season. Many parks and reserves had been split up into allotments, for which the workers balloted.