QUALITY OF BUTTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22401, 23 April 1936, Page 14

QUALITY OF BUTTER

Sir, —"Progressive Farmer" challenges my statement that "our butter is recognised as the best in the world, Danish not excepted." In order to refute my contention he draws attention to the fact that Danish is bringing from 34s to 36s a cwt. more than New Zealand, and both he and Mr. Levy infer that the higher price of Danish represents the degree of superiority of that butter. A little investigation, however, will prove the theory untenable and the conclusion hasty and unwarranted. Even a casual glance at the returns for the past decade or so reveals an amazing fluctuation in the disparity in price between the two; taking a few instances at random, in November, 1926, our butter was 82s a cwt. below Danish; in July, 1927, prices were equal; in October, 1930, wo wore 34s a cwt. below, and a week or two ago Danish was at a premium of 47s a cwt., and at present a little more than a third of that amount. Going still further back, New Zealand actually commanded a premium at one time. To contend that these fluctuations coincide with a corresponding difference in quality is manifestly absurd, and is, of course, contrary to fact. There is no need for me to enumerate the many well-known factors, apart from the question of quality, that militate against our butter commanding as high a price as Danish, and any comparison of quality, to be of any value, requires that both competitors be subject to the same conditions—an essential that my critics seem to overlook. While our butter has to cross half the globe to reach a market, and has stood up to the test, Danish has not been required to do so; when these various factors are allowed for it canr not be successfully contended that Danish has proved its superiority. The testimony of those in tho Homeland who have had samples sent to them direct, to tho effect that our butter is of exceptional quality, much superior to what they have been used to getting from retailers, and in many cases preferable to Danish,, together with similar evidence from various sources, I think justifies my contention that our butter is the best in the world. Tho fact that on the local market factory butter has almost completely supplanted the home-made article is somewhat disconcerting to Mr. Levy's assertion that the only flavour the former contains is tho salt that it holds. If wc are to improve our position on the British market we will have to drop these reiterated and unwarranted suggestions that our butter is lacking in quality and in need, and capable, of great improvement. I know of no other producer, manufacturer or vendor that is guilty of the stupendous folly of publicly decrying the merits of his own wares. When we regain confidence in our produce wo may expect to earn the confidence of consumers, but not before. W. Johnstone.