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185
The inspector, who had had this man under observation for
some time, knew that he was on friendly terms with another
tradesman in a neighbouring street to whom he supplied large
quantities of margarine. He, while testing the sample from the
former, sent his usual agent to the latter's shop to keep it under
observation. As soon as the inspector walked in to take over the
sample of "butter" purchased by his agent, he sent his boy round
to warn his friend. The other agent, who was waiting outside
this shop, saw the boy deliver the message to the proprietor. The
boy, when he came back, admitted that he had been told to warn
the other tradesman. The man from whom the sample had been
obtained admitted all this when taxed, and naively asked the
inspector at the same time "to make it as light as possible, in view
of the fact that all samples taken from him previously had been
correct.'" The circumstances were explained to the Magistrate,
who characterised it as a bad case, and fined defendant £5 12s. 6d.
(including costs).
The state of the law, therefore, with respect to the sale of
this article requires amending. It is necessarily difficult, under
the conditions under which butter and margarine are at present
sold, to prevent fraudulent substitution. The profit to be made
on the sale of butter is meagre, while the profit to be made on
the sale of margarine for butter is considerable, ranging from
50 to 100 per cent.
The case relating to excess of water in butter, which was 28
per cent, in excess of the legal limit of 16 per cent., is of interest
in connection with the new Butter and Margarine Act. The defendant
in this case supplied to the agent sent by the inspector a
sample of butter which was taken from a large block of butter
marked "Pure butter," Is. 2d. per lb. The "butter" was first
wrapped up and then placed in a paper bag. The inspector on
entering the shop opened the bag, and took out the sample preparatory
to dividing it in the usual manner, as prescribed by the
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts. On removing the inner wrapper
he noticed that this latter had some printed matter, disclosing the
fact that the "butter" was sold as "Seeandwi," a milk-blended
butter substitute, which may contain as much as 24 per cent, of