The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1926. THE BUTTER COMMISSION.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8018, 26 September 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1926. THE BUTTER COMMISSION.

I Speaking at the inaugural dinner of the Grocers' Exhibition now bein" held in London, Mr Traverner, AgentGeneral for Victoria expressed the hope that the [mperial Government will legislative promptly oa ths suggestions made by the Parliamentary Select Committee which was set up | some months ago to investigate statements made regarding the adulteratiou of butter. Evidence was given by men deahug e>_taudvely in English, foreign and colonial bttttara, and the findings of the committee form interesting reading for dairy, men generally. On the question of purely blending different makes, the Committee expressed the opinion that this is a legitimate industry, though the prohibition of blends containing more thau sixteen per cent, of moisture should be prohibited. Owing to what is known as •" milk blended " butter meeting the wants .or suiting the tastes of a certain class of eottsamer, the prohibition of its manufacture <,t sale is not desirable, though this and aiflaijar substances (not margarine) containing butter fat, should be sold under separate and distinct names. Further steps should he taken to ensure that the entire course of this article can he traced from manufacturer to consumer. Evidence was also put before the committee which showed that animal fat is added to butter, the mixture being so skilfully blended that analysts are unable to detect it froMi the pure butter as which it is ' significant phase of this fact that many oucu-1

i»Ws 'A butter factories are b'iug instructed liovv to adulterate butter in this wny, and the committee therefore recommended that all premises where butt> r is olended, or reworked, or treated by any process), or where abnormal butter is produced, should be registered, and that inspectors under the various departments concerned have power to enter such premises ; that no fat, other than butter fat, nor oil*, nor substance to increase the moisture be allowed in the production of butter. Passing now to margarine, the Committee suggests it should be snld only in wrappers having the word " margarine "in black solid capital letters, no oilier lettering being allowed ; even on those wrappers on which other marks are allowed certain restrictions are placed. The same margin of moisture is allowed as in blends, and factories must be properly described in the registration. Penalties for infringement of the importation clauses, which are modelled on those relating to home manufacturing, should be in proportion to the size of the consignment. A most important clause in the report is "that all practicable steps be taken to bring about inter, national agreements as to the prevention of adulteration. " In fixing the limit of sixteen per cent, of moisture, the committee has evidently considered the case of the thousands of families to whom good butter is quite inaccessible ; for a proviso is made that substances other than butter (not being margarine) containing butter fat should be sold, with a limit of twenty-four per cent, of moisture under a name approved of by the Board of Agriculture, of course under strict conditions. Altogether, the committee seems to have met a very difficult problem in a mauner which at any rate shows conscientious consideration, and it is to be hoped that the question will be settled in a manner satisfactorily safeguarding the interests of both producer and consumer.