AmjJner'i9ih8arm"  ^  Cod-Liver  Oil  from  Newfoundland.  453 
Considerable  attention  has,  however,  been  devoted  recently  in 
Newfoundland  to  the  improvement  of  the  quality  of  the  cod-liver  oil 
produced  in  the  island.  In  1910  the  government  procured  the 
services  of  a  Norwegian  expert,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cod-liver  oil  in  the  Lofoden  Islands,  to  instruct  the  New- 
foundland refiners  in  the  methods  of  preparing  the  finest  oil.  A 
system  of  government  inspection  of  oil  refineries  was  also  intro- 
duced, and  in  May,  1916,  an  "  Act  respecting  the  refining  of  cod-liver 
oil "  was  passed  by  which  it  wTas  made  compulsory  for  every  refiner 
of  the  oil  in  Newfoundland  to  obtain  a  license  and  to  observe  certain 
rules  and  regulations  in  the  preparation  of  the  oil.  Under  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act  no  refined  cod-liver  oil  is  now  allowed  to  be  ex- 
ported from  Newfoundland  without  having  been  inspected  and 
branded  by  a  government  officer.  The  result  of  these  measures 
has  been  to  bring  about  a  great  improvement  in  the  quality  of 
Newfoundland  cod-liver  oil,  and  it  is  claimed  that  the  refined  oil  is 
now  equal  to  the  best  Norwegian  oil. 
The  production  of  refined  cod-liver  oil  in  Newfoundland  has  in- 
creased considerably  in  the  last  few  years,  but  the  bulk  of  the  oil 
obtained  is  still  of  common  quality.  In  1913-14,  1,054,208  gallons 
of  common  cod  oil  were  exported  from  Newfoundland,  as  contrasted 
with  26,218  gallons  of  refined;  in  1914-15,  1,239,040  gallons  of 
common  against  47,170  gallons  of  refined;  and  in  191 5-16,  1,313,- 
280  gallons  of  common  against  142,637  gallons  of  refined.  It  is 
evident  that  a  much  greater  output  of  the  refined  oil  is  possible  if 
satisfactory  markets  can  be  found  for  the  product. 
