Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-01-13
BUTTER|NE
IN DEMAND

The recent introduction of butterine
into Danville has brought about a new
condition affecting the demand for
butter. The latter at present quota
tions is little short of drug. Evid-
emily there will have to be a readjust-
ment of prices.
1t has been scarcely three months
since the first butterine was advertls-
ed for sale at the local stores. In this
short interval it has gained foothold
among our working people that prom
ises to be permanent. One of our
Mill street stores affords an illuminat
ing object lesson. Here, where former
ly hundreds of pounds of butter We're
sold weekly and where the supply
sufficient to meet the demand, on Sat
urday night were found seven to eight
hundred pounds of butter in stock, all
brought in during the week or so past
for which there is no demand at the
prices quoted-thirty-t cents per
pound.
The merchant explained that nearly
all his butter trade has gone over to
butterine. He exhibited some very
fine samples of the latter, which sells
at 25 cents per pound. Although a
great deal of the butter on hand at the
store was of a choice quality yet the
difference in the price is too great and
people, especially those of limited
means, turn to butterine.
Butterine, like butter, varies in qu-
ality, and while the best retails at %
cents there are other grades that sell
at 20 cents per pound or even lower.
The merchant in question stated that
taking III the general run of butter
that comes into the stores there is n
fair proportion of it that is below
good butterine in quality.
He had not the least idea of what he
would do with the tremendous accu-
mutation of butter in his store unless
he should sell it at a loss. Unfortun-
ately the same conditions prevail over
pretty nearly the entire State and the
market in neighboring towns that the
merchant used to supply when over
stocked are like those in Danville glut-
ted with butter.
A visit to the other stores revealed
the same state of affairs. At places
where butterine is not sold the effect
is perceptible in the diminished de-
mand for butter. Every store is we'll
stocked up.
In the curbstone market Saturday
thirty-two cents were generally asked,
although some butter of first class
quality was sold at thirty-fve cents.
A great deal of butter remained un-
sold, although toward the close of
market it was offered as low as TWEEN
ty-eight cents per pound.
The local dealers explain that the
supply of butter was inadequate to
meet the local demand and that the
prices thirty y-eight to forty cents per
pound-were nearly prohibitive. They
were, therefore, compelled to deal in
substitute for butter, just as they
were obliged last fall to ship thou
sands of bushels of potatoes into Dan
vile to supply the trade at prices
which people could pay.
Although butterine is a very good
substitute for some butter it will new
Ell win out in the race with good but
ter so long as the difference in prices
is not too marked. Under the present
schedule of prices, however, it is OBJ
vious enough that butterine has wholly
the advantage. AS stated above, OBJ
viously, there will have to be a read
justment of prices if butter is to re-
tain its hold on the local market.