THE PRICE OF MILK.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 419, 30 January 1909, Page 3

THE PRICE OF MILK.

, '. 'SUPPLIERS DISSATISFIED. ';;.. ;:THE PEELING ATVOPPER-.HIi'TT. ■ ■' . .The matter, of prices obtained fqr milk from city .yendo'rs, is still exercising. the.minds.of •local (says , our' Uppe r, Hutt corre's-.. ■po'ndent).'.' The price paid by some Wellington firms.for the milk 1 they afeoffering to the public nets': about 2jd. to 2}d.' per gallon to the farmer, while, the consumer in Wellington'is .called upon; to pay'for the .article, of Is. 4d. per gallon, The best price received locally for the milk sent to town. does not exceed fourpence and twothirds .of' a. penny per gallon. .'Some little 'time'j back tne local farmers joined together to ask the milk vendors to pay them 6a! per ; g&llon for all milk during the "flush , . , of .the .season.; 7d..for. the autumn, when feed was ; falling off, and 9d.' per gallon for the winter, whencattle had to be hand-fed.' The "milk, trade" in Wellington declined to even discuss !the;proposal,'and.owing to several defections ;,on..the part of signatories to; the "modus' yjVeridi, .the > local combination 'of ' farmers.cpllapsed,: A'further effort' was made to ar'.range-; for marketing, the miKin' town; hut : latterly very, little, has been heard'.of, the -pro-' ject.-: There.is, some talk, of - putting- ; iip: a .cheese factory, and ,'declining to send; any: milksto Wellington,' as a. cheeseiactbry:Would, '■nefrover sd.- per -'gallon;'and- the whey' would ■be of:, value-as,'pig ■feed.:' .The;local.'Agricul-tural,-Department:inspector was'-round-;'this : :week-'.uriannouriced at; the■ a'a'ilway .stations. .testing;railk,' can; by ■ can,' "with/the""la'ctometer.,. ',S6i ; 'farr'if.: appears -the' 1 tests'-have, proved, ,The complaint made to" tho Minister for. Public Health by! a jecerit Wellington,!.deputation of "milk-retailers 'that, water.- found in the\milk by s the' city insp'ectorsVwas. put in the' cans by-others-'tnan ■themselves' , or'-their employees -does' not',ap;pear..tb:.beiwarranted by. facts. ,"■ Occasionally there; may,,' be 'cases'-, where :,th!e. first.,.milk 'drawn frtm.a number,of.cows is put.through th6>.6boler■together, , and-lso one can -may>be 'content , ', of the-.cans which ; the:-laier milk of the herd,\but.such' be .rare indeed!.. It.is a:wellIcnbwiilfact that the. first .'-portion of the milk, :6f dairy',oowi ; is-, always'-much , inferior to the , milk'-; obtained' at the latter ;-ing of .the.;cow—indeed,-; the ; ."strippings', , ', p'r last 'small..portion obtained, is almost as rich" :as .cream;-.'',..1f, in; v 6rdeT. 'to.-'get' .the';-milk ■tlirbugh'-,the'-; cooler without waste of .'time, ..milkers ijmti'tho ,'-'first"Jof :the ;milk■ing^^.into.the- ..tank, jit •naturally.' follows-' that the can receiving, such triilk: witl .not test.as high ; a's cans which 'are the later portion;'of 'the milking. ~ ; It,'is understood ;tha(:V3eVeral,firmgin'the.cityjmilk trado hate offered ..their; businesses-.to ■ parties interested in the .production -.of ;milk in .the; district '/irOb' the; p'jices'Vasked' have, so'ia.r been '.nipre'.than farmers have , been preparefl : to pay : '-for ,;roun!ds."'V'; !, v-.';': ; V ::;l / : -- ; •"/.■-■ .-'-v-a.J.,- ■ ;