THE BUTTER MARKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20965, 3 March 1930, Page 7

THE BUTTER MARKET

HEaVy ARRIVALS IN ENGLAND. REDUCTION IN PRICES. (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, February 28. The arrival of 200,000 boxes of Australian and New Zealand butter this week resulted in lower prices than for some years. Empire "butter should be obtainable at 17d to 18d per lb. . “ A GROSS DECEPTION.” METHODS OF BLENDERS. LEGISLATIVE ACTION URGED. LONDON, February 28. A number of representatives of farming and dairying interests, the Cattle Society, and housewives’ societies. inspected the wrappers used for blended butters, which, though not stated to be English, conveyed the impression that the contents were, as they bore the names of famous dairy districts with pictures of English pastoral scenes. At a subsequent meeting Sir W. A. Wayland, M.P., described the wrappers as a gross deception to the consumer. He said that approximately l,(100,000cwt of butter wes bended in England annually, of which I^2oo,0 00c wt was foreign, 520,000 cwt ’Australian and New Zealand, and only 80,000 cwt from English farms or 1 other Empire sources. Blended butter was selling at about 3d per lb dearer than Empire butter. It seemed a waste of public money for the Empire Marketing Board to exhort a housewife to buy British butter when millions of pounds worth of foreign butter were being sold under labels which were anything but an indication of the true origin. The meeting appointed a deputation to wait on the Minister of Agriculture and urge the inclusion of butter under the Merchandise Marks Act, thus making it compulsory for the wrapper to indicate the source of origin. ' Mr King, of the Australian Dairy Board, and Mr Walter ' Wright (New Zealand) supported the proposal. ATTITUDE OF THE BLENDERS. PRESENT SYSTEM DEFENDED. A leading butter blender said he could not accept Sir W. A. Wayland’s figures as to the proportions of butter blended. He estimated that fully 80 per cent, of the butter used by blenders came from Australia, New Zealand, and the Irish Free State. He pointed out that the blenders purchased the best colonial butter, and that without their demand the prices throughout the season would be from 6s to 10s per cwt lower than they were now. He added that the blenders would do their utmost to hold their trade, even if they were compelled to make known the high qualities of the blends made from Continental butters. It could not be denied that these were much fresher than colonial butters, and that their production had increased enormously..