BUTTER IN BRITAIN.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18393, 29 July 1931, Page 6

BUTTER IN BRITAIN.

After careful inquiry the Standing Committee set up In Britain to consider the question of the marking of imported butter have recommended that, .subject to certain considerations, It is desirable that the principles laid down In section 2 of the Merchandise Marks Act should be applied to imported butter and blends of butter consisting of or containing imported butter. Their conclusions arc based on the examination of the evidence of two sets of people holding divergent views—the applicants for the Order in Council necessary under the Act if the marking Is to be put into force, and their opponents. The applicants were a body representing British afTd Empire agriculturists, shop assistants ’ engaged in the retail trade in butter, and consumers. Then’ objects were to encourage the efforts of the producer in Britain and throughout the Empire, and to enable the public to know the origin of the butter offered for sale—thus giving them the opportunity, if they prefer it, to buy British and Imperial rather than foreign produce. The main arguments of the other side were that the allegations of deception about the origin of bought butter are greatly exaggerated, that consumers are more interested in Us quality than in the question of Its origin, and that the proposed Order would be unenforceable. ‘The committee, while admitting that there is some force in this last objection, decided that 'the difficulties aro not insuperable, and that it would be practically possible to mark Lhe goods In question, both for wholesale and retail sale, with indications of origin. The proposals made for the wording of these indications, and for the form and manner of their application, should, so far as the principle of marking is concerned, meet all the necessities of the case. At the same time, it is regrettable that the report fails to deal resolutely with the all-important questions connected with the purity and wholesomenes.s of imported foreign butter. Against the practice of Wending different kinds of butter, provided that In these respects all of the butters used in the blend are above suspicion, there is of course nothing to be said. But lit should be possible for the housewife to know whether the butter that she buys is blended or what is known in the trade as “original,” and whether it is Empire or foreign; and it should not be possible for blended imported butter, of possibly inferior quality, to be sold to her under descriptions which may tend to make her believe that it is British. The marking of imported butter will not encourage the sale of British butter unless tiie British butter Is of better quality than the imported article. But, if the Government are really anxious to promote the prosperity of British and Empire farmers, it is difficult to see how they can hesitate to adopt tiie recommendations of lhe committee, and so to make it worth their while to increase and possibly to improve their, output instead of leaving the bulk of the trade to the foreigner.