CITY MILK

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1968, 27 January 1914, Page 6

CITY MILK

CLEARING HOUSE SCHEME, PROPOSAL BEFORE COUNCIL A scheme to provide for a more thorough inspection of milk supplied to the citizens of Wellington was put beforo the City Council last night by tho Abattoirs, Milk Supply, and Public Health Committee, which reported:— "That tliey have given careful consideration to the question of tho milk supply of the city, and have ■ had conferences with representatives of various bodies 011 the subject. Your committcc are of opinion that the first step that should bo taken to effectively deal with the question is tho erection of a municipal clearing-houso in proximity to the railway station, and havo to recommend that provision bo at onco made for the erection of such a Depot, and that a deputation consisting of His Worship the Mayor and Chairman and members of tho Milk Supply Committee wait upon the Prime Minister at the earliest possiblo moment to urge that tho , Government provide a site for tho building and also to discuss the question of ways and means." Councillor Godber, Chairman cf tiie Committee said that at present the inspection, divided as it was among different authorities, was not efficient, and it was possible for milk to come into tho city and bo sold for consumption without being tested at all. Eighty per cent, of the milk came by rail, but somo did not-, and the milk suppliers of the Makara district, whs did not rail their milk, wero anxious to send it to a clearing house. Ho thought the Government should be approached, and lie felt sure the Government would readily give them assists ance., The committeo felt that the first absolute necessity was a ckaring house, to bo under the control of tho City Corporation. The milk might cost a little more, but tho added cost naed not be moro than a penny a gallon. Councillor Fuller: A penny a pint! Councillor Godber said he knew what ho was talking about, and lie still thought the cost would not exceed one penny a gallon, a cost which would be infinitesimal by 'comparison with the good that would follow tho supply of better milk to the young children of the community. 111 any casa, tho thorough, inspection would protect tho people against being charged at per pint for water with which somo of the milk of the city was regularly diluted. Ho moved tho adoption of tho report. Councillor Fletcher seconded the motion, and 6aid 110 would bo very glad to seo tho report given effect to, Somo abominable milk was served cut to tho people of Wellington, and the sooner something was done to remedy the business the better.

Councillor Fuller said "pure milk for Wellington" was 311 ear-tickling proposition, but not a sensible practicable one. Ho did not agree that all the milk, or even a great part of the milk, supplied in tho city was bad. Tho farms from which the milk was supplied in NewZealand were now generally conducted by proper hygienic and sapitar.y methods, and tho council should not, lightly deal with a matter which x would affect the livelihood of hundred:- of people. Here in Wellington, where the temperature never was above i'G, there was no need for a clearing house, or any special inspection. In some of the cities in Australia tho supply of miik for Infants was specially supervised, but only during tho hotter months of tho year, No attempt was ever made in Australia or any other country t<v deal with the supply of milk to, adults. Ho would ho satisfied to support a proposal to subsidise a scheme for tho supplv of pure milk to infants/ but he would not support a scheme which, if carried out, would assuredly moan dear milk—very dear milk it would prove to be. He would never agree to sec the eounci! commit tho city to a "needless Socialistic, inconvenient mode of stipplv of milk." Ho moved an amendment to tho effect that a conference ha arranged between the milk vendors and tho committee. Councillor. Tregcar supported tho recommendation of the committed, and hoped the council would accept it. Councillor Fitzgerald said ha wished to assure Councillor Fuller that the committee. had had numerous conferences -with milk vendors and dairy farmers supplying milk to tho city. .fho object ofHlio committeo was to close all avenues by which impure milk could bo supplied to tho citizens, and tho best way to ensuro this would be by tho establishment of a' suitable store and clearing house. And thero vias no reason to suppose that tho now system would impose on the people < f Wellington added cost for their milk. Councillor M'Kenzie said lis objected to tbo report in its' present shape-. He was quite with the committee in its desire to givo tho people pure milk, but thero was very littlo provided for hi the proposal that was calculated to ensuro this. In a clearing liouso milk could bo inspected to' detect the presence in it of preservatives or added water, but IJio protection tho public needed most would bo provided only by an analysis of tho milk to detect in it tho presence of disease germs, This could bo clone only by a high-salaried chemists What was really needed was a closer inspection of tho dairy herds, and a closer supervision of tho farmers' methods in their milking sheds. Councillor Fitzgerald: That is attended to by tho Health Department. Councillor M'Kenzie said ho was satisfied that tho public health inspection was not adequate. There was a suggestion that milk should bo pasteurised, but mere pasteurisation would not be sufficient to destroy the most dangerous of all germs, tuberculosis. Tho Mayor said that the sooner tho council had an officer under its own control to supervise tho'inspeet-ion of milk tho better it would bo for the city. Ho thought tho report was a good one, for ho realised that it was impossible for a committee'to bring down a report covering all details. If tho council would learo tho matter to the committee, they would find that tho committee would accomplish something tangible in tho direction of securing a purer milk supply, even during tho life of tho present council. After Councillor Godber had replied, the motion to adopt. the report was agreed to on tho voices, Councillor Fuller being tho_ only member at tho table to give his voice against tho motion.