MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13993, 26 August 1909, Page 3

MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

LOCAL EXPORTERS INTERVIEWED. YESTERDAY'S I'ROSECUTIONS. THE AGHItT.LTTRAL DEPARTMENT. Yesterday's probt'cutwm of Messrs. C'<:!lett and Co. tor attempting to ex1 ort butter containing an excct>.j of moist it re over and above tlie 16 per cent, allowed, has aroused ninth indignation among those firms handling butter tor export. The opinion was expressed that the Agricultural Department had been prosecuting the utong party. With a view to obtaining the impressions of local exporters, one of our representatives sought a number of interviews. MESSRS. COLLECT AND CO. Mr. Criiickshank. the Ne« Zealand manager of Collett and Co., said the question of excess of moisture in butter was a very important one, and in the interests of the New Zealand factories and producers should be stopped. It trust be clearly understood that an 1 butter exposed for sale in the Old Cr untry containing over the 16 per cent, limit of moisture rendered the seller of such an article, whether wholesale or letail. subject to .the full penattv of the la« . I'ntil the past spjimim New Zealand held the reputiitton ol producing a reasonably dry butter, and importer, of the New Zealand product had not expected to find such excesses of moisture as occurred last season. But during the past year several enses had come to lij,'-- .- • • •-„•' : iranr 1 " '"red by New Zealand tactor>i dairies had been heavily waterlogged. Reading from The Grocer, which was tha^ official organ of the produce trade in the Old Country, it »aid: "Not only is the retailer of tin* placed in a very awkward position, hut the agent or buyer of the butter is likely to be very seriously prejudiced in more ways than one. . . being liable to prosecution and a very heavy fine. « -s necessary for us to point out the great hardship which would be inflicted on both the retailer and impor.ter.of the butter at this end should they tie prosecuted for the selling of this waterlogged commodity, because loth have been relying on what the. Now Zealand Government and the Now Zealand producer have so continually pointed out as being a great safeguard -namely, that the butter is all Government graded. It is very difficult to understand why the Government should issue graders' certificates for this butter (which is equivalent to a guarantee of purity) when they have the knowledge through their own pnaIvst that so much of the butter in New Plymouth and Auckland is showing an [•rcess of moisture. The season for N T ew Zealand butter is now nearly over. I) nt it is well to look ahead, and to press for the necessary reforms. A question was recently asked in ;he British House of Commons as to iehether attention had been called to ;he report on an analysis of butter ;aken by the New Zealand' Government it New' Plymouth, including Auckland md Wellington. Was the Board of Agriculture aware that of the large inmber of samples of «batter taken a >ig percentage showed water contents rarying from 20.5 to 25.50; was, the ratter imported from New Zealand into England Government-graded ;#; # and what steps* if any, had been taken by the lepartment to protect importers of >utter in Great Britain? Further, the Some and Foreign Counties Exchange bad passed a. resolution calling the ittention of tht public departments to the great increase of moisture in New Zealand butter. * "The great point is this," said Mr. Druickshank ; "the New Zealand Govsrnment has instituted a dairying department, and butter which is exported is -all subjected to the Government $rade. The Government has employed malysts with the express purjwse of baking samples of butter for shipment, Messrs. Collett and Co. handle, say, ibout one-tenth of the butter exported from New; Zealand, and it would be % stupendous task to have to analyse pach box that was shipped from three jr four different p»rts simultaneously," MW Cruidkshank pointed out. "If this, butter is graded and Gorernment certificates are issued, the exporters conridef that these certificates should embody a guarantee that the butter so graded does not contain -over 16 per cent, of moisture. Exporters fail to »cc how they can analyse each box of butter as it is shipped from the various ports of the dominion. If the Government grades butter knowing it to contain over 16 uer cent, of moisture, and issues a grade certificate note for it, and allows it to be shipped, we fail to sco how it is safeguarding they good name of New Zealand butter. ' In the cf>se under notio»," continued Mr. Crnicksbank, "we purchased these nine boxc3 registared dairy butter in good faith from two of our local clients; we x received grade certificates for the 6amo ; and arranged to ship the butters through to England. Nine days after the department informed us that these butters contained over 16 per cent, of moisture, and we instantly withdrew them from shipment, as it is not to the interest of any agent to allow a single box of ' excess moisture butter to go through to the Home market: and in so doing we were assisting the department to prevent shipment of water-logged butt jr. As we have Mid before, we do not think any fiim can possibly check the moisture content of butters being shipped, say, from four different ports in New Zealand simultaneously, and we consider that the factories, the dairy farmers, and the exporters should regard the grade notes as embodying a guarantee) from the department that such butter as it refers to contains under 36 per cent, of water, and is thotefope safe for export. If the butter is fou.vj tp contain over U\*r cent., ther. th<? department shout'! stop export of ,it." ME3SRS! J. B. MacEWAN AND CO

• Mr. Arthur MacEwan, acting-man-ager of Messrs. J.. B. MacEwan and Co. asked for his opinion in regard to', tfle prosecution said if there were to be any prosecutions at all, then the company manufacturing the butter should certainly he held the responsible party for this reason :' "Supposing we go and bay 1 one hundred boxes of butter from a company on grade, we get a copy of the Government grade note. There is 'nothing on that to denote what the moisture content is, whether it is excessive or otherwise. These notes are ana' should be looked upon as a guarantee that the conditions of the Taw have been complied with. We have one other means of ascertaining the moiV turo oontant. Batter can have 20 per pent, of moisture and still be first grade, but we can't export it. The Government when grading the butter should analyse it for its moisture content and make this known immediately both, to the maker and the purchaser or agent. It would not be practicable for a firm to have these analysis made. A firm might have one office, but buy butter from several provinces and import from several ports. The buyers under existing conditions were in a very unfortunate position. They purchased the butter subject to its passing the Government grader as first grade and if it was found to contain excessive moisture and this was unsuitable for export |:he firm had no recourse against the seller for the conditions regarding a firet grade article had been complied with."