MARGARINE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144083, 30 April 1913, Page 3

MARGARINE.

OBJECTION BY BUTTER.DEALERS. TO ITS COLOURING. By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. (Received April 30, 9.35 a.m.) LONDON, April 29. A meeting of the colonial butter .committee of selling agents resolved that it is expedient that steps be taken to promote legislation to prevent the continuance of colouring margarine as butter. It was decided to seek the assistance of the Danish and Irish producers. ITS SALE IN ENGLAND. Extraordinary profits derived from margarine wore disclosed in the statement of accounts presented to the shareholders of tbo Maypoie Dairy Company, Ltd., at the annual meeting in Loudon a few weeks ago. The profits of this company have trebled in the last five years, amounting in 1912 to over £660,000, from which deferred shareholders received a dividend of no less than 212 j per cent. In addition to such handsome dividends the reserve fund has been built up to the respectable figure of £620,000. Even granting expert management and iiighly developed organisation, a large portion of these phenomenal profits remain unaccounted for from an every-day business point of view. It would seem that the- margarine trade is being revolutionised. 'With or without reason, there has long existed a strong prejudice against this article. Probably the cause lias been the fancied or real objection to the use of animal fats in its preparation, although many brands of margarine are quite indistinguishable from real butter both in appearance and taste to the ordinary consumer. But the Maypole Company attributes a'largo measure of its success to a new departure in manufacture. It has replaced animal fats with nut fats, thus deferring to the nopular iraagiuativo taste. The enormous trade of this company may be estimated when it is stated that it has open about 800 establishments for the sale of its products, tho manufacture of which entails a daily consumption of 500 tons of nuts.

A successful ruse of the Maypole Company for pushing the sale of margarine is to offer it at “a shilling a pound with a half pound overweight.” A shilling a pound for “butter” is a price having all the respectability of Jong establishment, and the : thrifty housewife is thus enabled to “save her face,” whilst in reality bnying “margarine” at cightpence. Another interesting feature of tho company’s success is its blending operations. It blonde 21b. of New Zealand butter, at Is, with 81b. of Siberian butter at 9d, 2ib. of Dutch margarine at 3Jd, and lib. of Nestles’s milk at 5Jd, and thus produces 71b. weight at a cost of- 4s 6Jd, which retailed as butter at la per pound returns a profit of 4.21 d per lb. Apart from Maypole figures, the progress of margarine may be gauged from the Board of Trade returns, which show for tho year ended Juno 30, 1912, an increase of 15,014 tons of tho stuff was imported into tho United Kingdom. Tho extraordinary, rapid strides made last year by margarine were probably due to tho shortage in Australian shipments of butter, which amounted to only 33,677 tons, as against 44,395 tons in 1910-11; Australian butter in London ruled last year at 121 s 9d per cwt., compared .with 105 s in 1910-11.. Margarine is a competitor’with Australian rather than .with New Zealand butter, the superior quality of the latter being its own efficient protection, and it would seem that any falling off in the established demand for the New Zealand product is unlikely, so long as the quality is maintained.