BUTTER IN AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18468, 3 August 1923, Page 8

BUTTER IN AUSTRALIA.

'"""- "■*-: r~~7 s I 'j \ > EXPORTS FROM DOMINION. j; ; ■ ',-';■ ';':>}■■ ;__._; ■"■'■■' ' ;/;/; —r i -, l ~;>, QUALITY IN QUESTION. ! r , - ,} GOVERNMENT TO INQUIRE. . ■■■*•' . - -, '.. . ~~"~" ' JBV TELEGBAPH.-~SPECI.AX. , BEPOBTEBiJ ' / ■ ■','! "WELLINGTON, Thursday., Political influence is suggested by th& ' .' 'Prime Minister'as a. probable reason for •■-;- the holding-np •of certain New Zealand '■' '• ■'"'/. butter in Sjflney. recently on the ground that" it-was of inferior quality. The- matter \ was .brought up in, the House of Repre. :■■•?;_; senfcatives to-day by the Leader of the I Opposition, Mr. WiJford, who asked tha ,'""•-.'■ I Prime Minister whether he had Men the following paragraph, which had appeared I recently in the' Sydney Daily. Guardian, I dated from Melbourne "Inquires which '~ j have been made by Mr; Austen, Chapman, ''; '■■" I Minister for Customs, showed that certaim -\ <', '••' New Zealand bntter: recently . imported into. * New South Wales had been held up. for . J non-compliance with the Commerce, Act ,/'■: A quantity contained ' excessive" moisture. Another lot; was '('deficient* in ;<■' butter-fat", '" while a number of boxes were seriously - short .in weight Consequently the butter'.'-. was seizedfor bearing • a false trad* description. It' was : also found that; ffo New Zealand grade certificates which were presented did . not in - every instejace repro. ','' -sent the butter imported! Mr.'Chapman' remarked to-dav- that tlie ,Custom? Dfc '','! partraent had done everything possible to meet the situation, and the importers Barf been informed that the ; inferior l m fe mip-ht be returned to New " ZealaM „ ported overseas, reworked' and brou ff kl ; to , the Commonwealth , ■ EiihduS'™ properly marked to" show': clear? ?5 - ' was below standard. ;Th e poU ;t ' Staff** • cc ° rf ? nfl * TOfch .; *«*' '^4Sj ''I wish to ask the Prime ■■**■• -V' whether' there » anyone i n this <™nt™, :who};knowmg^jat.theW^ '?%££% : butter In Australia, would. .taxW-lK' of this kind?" said Mr. Wilford if W?tt : '* the Prime Minister See that no "one ia '£ tfis'wa r t0 clploifc "***'■ "»** '. ■' "I cannot say that I have seen the paragraph/; : replied the Prime Minister ' . I have had a good m any communications ' .with the Prime Minister of ■ Australia re-' ' " garding the holding-up of butter. ' 'Perhaps it s is.on , account ,of my 5 representa- -I : tions, or partly -on account of them,,that the butter has.been passed.*' , ■ ;..• Mr. Massev added .that; he believed, the ~'..'.'> reports wei-e; exaggerated^;but he '■■ could; ■•/;': hot;statelsthe-exaot position. ■ He ''-- knew ./J;;;-;* this—thaij whenever New eZaiand butter came into competition with the Australian ■/.•; artic)e, it'■.! proved 'to be of ■ better quality ~-; to',the extent of about 6s aewt-.', Another communicatson from the Commonwealth •'.■'_-. .'■.• Prime Minister was due, and; if it arrived ", within a few days, he would probably let . the House know its i contents. ■ He could , imagine that political influence against an '■"-, imported arliole might 1 have had some/ thing to do with the trouble ■ -Mr. Wilford: .That,is a serious sugges- ' tion. .•" ":' :'.:..■ / ■ '.';./ • ';!;/, ■ ..The Prime Minister: I' have known it to happen in New Zealand- before 'how. I ; ', will communicate with the Minister,, and:. urge him to ascertain, if. there is anything.''•. ■; in the -allegations regarding the butter. ; Mr. R. Masters : (Stratford}': Especially ■ ' with i regard to the - grading. The Prime Minister: I -have an impres- . sion, I may be wrong, but I have an impression that; the grading is admitted- ; -. bo rigltt. _ ' .;;..'/,/' - /,:' Another opinion of New Zealand trotter ■; anpears in the Australian Grocer, of June 20. as follows >—" Grocers in Victoria sre .now ; facing the period:of lowest;local.pro- '>' dilution of butter, as exerience has shown -.oyer.; ap. series of :; many thai it reaches its lowest level either in the-last week of June or > t!ie. first week of July. '. every year. ; After that supplies gradually' '■'■■ ; improve, but it is hot anticipated -thai' Victoria's output; will equal the local -de/ mand before about "the-middle-"of AujiiUßt.;,_ The--metropolitan consumption is esfcimated at ahoat SDOO,; boxes per week, anil the balance of ' the'-. State. requires ap-. t : ,- . proximately a similar quantity.^ . -. , *' The "position has been relieved by the arrival of shipments of butter from ;; /Zealand. Generally speaking,-.the ~ butter : is - decidedly good. It-is" pale and wjixy, or close J fnte<tm*e. It all upr.e;irs :to have been 'pasteurisedi, and to be .of the same type. It shows very little" moisture, though^that does, hot . necessarily ' ■ indicate that it is below Australian ' but. ter in water. . content/, The boxes ar« hot exact cubes,- measuring a little mora in length than l in',height, and depth. '" Grocers .will appreciate the fact that the ' boxes, as far as we ;can ■■'.find :i out, hav» all contained full; weight." . .' : :--^ ". -'.-- ;■•"-". ;' ■' : ' : "; i - : (j'..''. --■;;-. .:■■( ~.; . " : , /:■:;