asked the Minister for Lands and Agriculture whether his attention has been directed to the delay in the return of butter forwarded by co-operative creameries to the Department for surprise butter inspections, and whether he is aware that, in cases where there is a delay of upwards of three weeks, the delay militates against the subsequent sale of such butter.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - SURPRISE BUTTER INSPECTIONS.
During the present year 830 exhibits have been forwarded from 220 creameries to the surprise butter inspections held by the Department of Agriculture, and there has been no complaint regarding delay on the part of the Department in the return of any of these exhibits, nor were there, so far as I am aware, complaints as to any such delay in previous years. As regards the second part of the question, butter has not been held by the Department as long as three weeks, except on one occasion in 1927 when the exhibits were placed in the cold store at the Butter-Testing Station with a view to ascertaining, for the benefit of those engaged in the trade, the effect which cold storing for various periods has on the texture of butter. Butter of good quality will not deteriorate in three weeks if reasonable arrangements for keeping it are made. The conditions at the Butter-Testing Station are exceptionally suitable for this purpose.