THE MARGARINE INDUSTRY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 364, 10 April 1915, Page 11

THE MARGARINE INDUSTRY.

Originally the margarine consumed in Germany, Belgium, and Holland was all made in Holland, but when the trade became important the German and Belgian Governments put on a tariff which' promptly caused the Dutch makers, often with the assistance of English capital, to build works to enable them to manufacture margarine in Germany and Belgium, whereas they have not built works in England, and they still continue to supply their British customers from factories in. Holland. Previous to the outbreak of war, says Sir William Watson, the raw materials used in the Dutch and German factories largely came from British colonies, and consisted of huts and seeds, which were generally crushed and refined in Germany, thanks to the skill of the German chemical engineers. The nuts and seeds are chiefly produced in the British colonies, and, in consequence of the Avar and the shortage of refining plants and skilled chemical knowledge of refinery in England, the price has fallen £2 per ton, whereas the price of refined cocoanut and palm kernel oil lias at the same time advanced £ls per ton. The nut-producing British colonies are suffering from lack of demand and the low prices obtainable, and the British public has to pay more for its margarine.