ANALYSIS OF MILK.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 598, 28 August 1909, Page 14

ANALYSIS OF MILK.

• ——■——♦ - 1 — DEPUTATION TO HON. D. BUDDO. 'MINISTER PROMISES FREE TESTS. Several matters affecting tho interests of nulk suppliers wero brought under the notice of the Hon. >D. Buddo, Minister for: Health; by a .deputation of local dairymen yesterday. - : 1 ■

Mr. R. 1 A. Wright, M.P., in introducing the deputation;; said it .represented: 50. or 60 local, suppliers,'and had. the support of; milk, vendors .in ..various ..parts of tne Dominion. Its .members had 'no ■ complaint, to "make against. theJ officers of tho Health Department.^Wibat .they would submit was that convictions should not be recorded against dairymen on the testimony of the analyst alone- It .was not know how tho analysts arrived at thoix conclusions, and thoy felt that it was .possible mistakes might ...bo made. . ' ; , Mr/IL Bodley emphasised the fact that milk vendors . had no safeguards, against error on tho part of. the analysts. Thoy were entirely in tne dark as to _ the methods adopted-in examining tho. Under the present system an officer of tho Health Department tool; a sample from-a milk'cart ra the street/ For some. Time —perhaps months —thero was-a dead silence, and thon came a missive "to step this \ray> and perhaps have •your business head out,off." .• He, was led to understand that milk which had- been nulkcd into a dry bottle had .been deqlared by the health authorities to contain 8. per .cent. , of added water I . -There was, ho contended, no system -of test .under which the ouantity of added- wator could be correctly; determine. It. was '.believed--.that.the.. quantity: could .be ascertained . under-,y the osmotic y.system, (which involved the freezing of a portion of tho milk), but the -system wasof such - a technical nature that only skilful exports could'uso it. : In order for a milk vendor to be successful- in. business'"it would appear that' he , would -have: to 'have -,more knowledge than 'the research people. He. had , been, •informed 'that" in; Sydney- a; dairyman, from; whom r a- sample - of./ milk was. supplied <with. a. printed form. . which tamed information, as : to:i when.,and...where, the - milk would' .be\.arialysed.. , Then,.. again,; it was: desired ithat jhe, analysis.; of' .the ~ana-i ly st' ■' al oli e'" sH'oli 1 tl; n6t:',be;';-'acceptedvy..lt,;ione: 'cpuhlf'get ; '&ranalyst'..iii';the.'-box,■ he could; dotsomething-/': with-S.hjm,-• ;but;; .if ~;.therp.->WM; only: "a / cert'itioato , r tp..attackone;cp.uld-,^d o ■ •'nofe'mjg ** witK*' Vex<6ij>6i;? Kura ; .RM'Briuvy'theV ; milk ,; ..v&dpjft'''of ! the:,- city: .and; anV of their fobjefcts; v.'oiild .be .to - test:'tho iiiijk; .sent'in by .suppliers'.' ;■■ -■!'> -y-;'. .; rpplyiV:Snid' : . it-:_vras'-.pjeas-. suggested I 'that; any:.iniusti.ee had ..been- .done ..anybody. Hinder; the^A'ct:.''' Ho^cpuld''aspire.''the;,deputation; that the'questions-i which -, they hadjsuhmittedwould be answeredr immediately by ;tlie .officers of the Department. , AVith regard, t0...th0, question l of -it could readily. bo understood' that-' vondors- did-, not wish ..to-..pe ; kept>in:'doub,t: for.':any :length ;of: ; whether'a 1 charge was to be laid.' ,Ho .would, liko to-point-out • that ;iiv .was-, highly, inad-, visable, to '.rush- :caßes into-" court, .as completo • investigation of-- \the > climatic .. and, other i conditions might show that. -, the . dairyman, | was ' not - responsible -for i.the, defect in the, milk-' • Ohly mf'extreme -cases,,,where- it, .was, be'ieved the' suppliers had not- tried' to : com-; ply-with' ths standard; had' action, been taken' by the Department 'The evidence? which an analyst would give if: he .were called would; not''diftdr' frnm his report. - Clause- 21 of the Act provided ?. fot-. -an .independent . analysis if sought/ 'He' -could' assure, the deputation, i tli'aV. : the. r 'lfciKii^m'TOi''.dfd..ti6s , ;wißli" , fniillf?'.^iidora.a''lf>~»tt^fera>:wishM' l tests mado, the Department ivould do the .work:.'free :''6f f.costi.' provided'"'-that jygenerar "application was not.made in this regard. Drl-: MacLaurin'/'at \.this 'stage- -explained J-thaf'the 'lactometer was never-used' in'mak-' ing ■.testa: > An, analyst 'had no idea, from, whom the sample of milk abou.t which he had ■ heen asked to report, had been taken. Mr Wright asked how it camo about >that water was -said to be added /to such ■and such an oxtent m the case of-milk from a cow in a poor condition. 1 ■; Dr. : MacLannn: It: is a legal fiction, but - that is . the-way it is put all over , fhe world.-, ■ Mr.' Wrightßut; tne .publio might think in such a case that .the supplier himself had added water; -. Dr. MacLannn: Yes, that is so. •