THIRD READING. (Hansard, 9 August 1887)

LORD DENMAN
, in moving to leave out the syllable "marga" wherever the word "margarine" occurred, so that the substance referred to should be called "rine," said, that was the name given by the trade to substances known as butterine and margarine. He produced the Amendment which he had waived on the Report, and said that he was deeply interested in this question. He had received this morning the monthly account of butter sold to the provision merchant. It began with 8d. per lb. and ended with 1966s. 2d. per lb. He had paid 14s. 8d. for carriage of the butter to Derby; he had been offered 1966s. 6d. per lb. in Ashbourne for the last two weeks, 1699 but preferred not to interfere with his immediate neighbours, lie had seen Mr. Law, of Edinburgh, and London, and had inquired as to mixed chicory and coffee, He found that if sold as coffee it was warranted genuine; but if mixed in any way it had to be stamped with a simplestamp—which he produced. He hoped that if the Bill went unaltered to the House of Commons an Amendment on their Lordships' Amendment might be inserted to make the Bill workable.

THE EARL OF ROSEBERY
was not in a position to support the noble Lord; but lie much preferred the name proposed by the noble Lord to that which their Lordships had fixed to it, for it was a new name distinctly for the article. Margarine had nothing whatever to do with the article, which, up to the present, had been known as butterine.

THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWN
wanted to know what the real margarine was to be called? Some distinctive name ought to be given to the substance dealt with by the Bill, and in Lancashire it was known as "rine," which was probably not a bad name.

§ LORD BASING
said, he did not apprehend any difficulty, as what the noble Lord called the "real margarine" was only the subject of wholesale dealings, and was unknown to the retailer or consumer at all. He hoped their Lordships would retain the word "margarine."

§ LORD BRAMWELL
thought that some alteration ought to be made. He doubted whether the true "margarine" was within the Bill at all. The Bill only included matters which were prepared in imitation of butter. Now, true margarine was not a bit like butter. Thus the Act passed for the prevention of the fraudulent sale of margarine would not touch margarine at all.

§ EARL FORTESCUE
said, that the difficulty had somehow been got over in America. The term "oleomargarine" comprehended there by law margarine, butterine, suine, and a variety of other compounds. That was the legal designation in the United States.

§ THE EARL OF WEMYSS
said, that if his noble Friend went to a Division he should have no hesitation in supporting him. He preferred a true definition like 1700 "rine" to an absolutely false one like "margarine."

§ LORD FITZGERALD
hoped their Lordships would not accept tin; Amendment, which he regarded as another attempt by the pertinacious opponents of the Bill to defeat it.

§ LORD BASING
said, he objected to the word "chief."

§ THE EARL OF WEMYSS
then moved the rejection of the clause, which provided for the inspection by an officer of the manufacture of margarine. He considered the clause unprecedented and uncalled for, considering the other provisions of the Bill.

§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL(Viscount CRANBROOK)
said, he thought his noble Friend in charge of the Bill might very well agree to the omission of this clause. He could not imagine what the object of the clause was. Power was given under the Bill 1701 to anybody to manufacture this material, and to make it of any tiling they pleased. Therefore, what an Inspector would have to do he could not imagine. He thought it was useless to keep such a clause in the Bill.

§ LORD BASING
said, he had no objection to the clause being struck out, although the inspection of the manufacture of butterine had been invited by the manufacturers. But even with the omission of the clause that desire could still be gratified. There was a precedent for the clause furnished by the Alkali Acts.