10 July, 1919.] The Ouilvol- for D airying. 389 



1 oz. per head per week. Supplies have been exceedingly short, 

 but are now coming to hand from Australia, New Zealand, the 

 Argentine, and America in considerable quantities, and it is most 

 likely that the ration will be raised to 2 ozs. within a very short 

 time. The retail price is 2s. 6d. per lb., and it is probable that a 

 reduction of 2d. per lb. will be made shortly. 



" The world's supply of butter is short, owing to the decrease in 

 .the dairy herds of Denmark and Siberia, the cause of this, in the 

 case of the first-named country, being lack of supplies of feeding 

 stuffs; and, in the case of Siberia, owing to the general disorganiza- 

 tion of the country. England used to draw very largely from both 

 these countries for her supplies, and you can therefore see that, 

 as we are not receiving anything at all from these sources, this 

 explains our great shortage. 



" It is quite certain that a 2-oz. ration is not sufficient to satisfy 

 the public demand, and that it would not be safe to give butter a 

 free sale until there was an average of 4 ozs. per head per week; and 

 this is not possible until supplies can be obtained from Denmark 

 and Siberia. When this will be, it is, of course, impossible to say; 

 but it is quite possible that if Denmark is supplied with feeding 

 stuffs and raw material for the manufacture of margarine, we 

 might get a small quantity of butter by the autumn. 



" Margarine. — This article is partially released from control. 

 Up to this week, it had been rationed in the same way as butter, 

 only the quantity differed, the last amount being 5 ozs. per head 

 per week, with a retail price to consumers of Is. per lb. 



" The alterations that have been made now are that the price of 

 Is. per lb. is a maximum one, therefore retailers can sell at less 

 if they choose, and many of the leading multiple-shop companies 

 have promptly availed themselves of this opportunity by at once 

 reducing the price to lOd. per lb. 



" The ration is taken off altogether, and consumers may there- 

 fore purchase any quantity, but they are still tied down to the 

 retailer they registered with until 3rd March, when this condition 

 is removed. 



" Manufacturers are supplied with the raw material by the Go- 

 vernment, and have to conform to a standard fixed by the Ministry.' 

 The maximum price they may charge to retailers is lOd. per lb., 

 but it looks as if they are cutting the price in some cases, and it 

 is evident that there is likely to be a big fight all round to secure 

 a large portion of the trade. There is no doubt that sales will 

 largely exceed the rationed quantity, and at present all the mar- 

 . garine is British-made, no imports being allowed." 



It will be seon from these extracts that the ration of butter allowed 

 in the United Kingdom was 1 oz. per head, and that it was about to be 

 raised to 2 ozs. per head, whilst the quantity of margarine available 

 allowed a ration of 5 ozs. per head, at much less than half the price. 

 There sbould be no fear that people will eat margarine in preference to 

 good butter. An extract from a recent letter received by a neighbour 

 from a friend in England is interesting: — 



"X got your parcel just before she left Mentone, and we 



have been enjoying the butter so much; it is delicious; and we are 



