THE MILK QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2149, 15 May 1914, Page 6

THE MILK QUESTION.

THErinqumeimacie by rrepvescntative of fhe Dominion into ' the carnage and handling of milk on cmr railways., parfeulars of which will oe found in 'another column, cannot, be regarded as revealing anything •appMtoclung a satisfactory state of »% quito tvue »° dol) b fc that the Railway Eoparfcraeat is blamed for a great deal that it j :S novfesponablo for, inrt it js equally true that tte Department muter its regulations has absolved itself of responsibilities which should property belong to fi TH rcgulaWs appal catty pravltb th,a* all milk shafl carried at tho owner's risk and that the owner mast take the rcspansibil- •& io \ to**"* aati unloading it. Why should this responsibility ba' placed m the owner? So far as wo, cm gather tto oa.ly rcasou is thai f«' s Ga i'«ed at a low tato of freight; aiid the laihvay Dcpaiimeait feels that jt is enMtteff to rkim* itself of as much trouble M .po.ss.iblo over its handling. Thh may sound reasopablc enough as a busiaess proposition, hit k tttis matter' of the carnage- ffi aiilfe tlio publfc Wth desorves considejafcion, a ad if,' as seems to be the case, tho present extern of hsmtimg the cans osftd for'fcfe carriage ol the milk kads to an amount of battering that readers it wdl,nig.h. jmpossible to p-mpedy oteaew .them, then plainly some change js ealfcd for. Jfj» conflict rf opinion oft the qutisiion of who is rcßpoiistble for tt.o damage to' th.e cans mafe xt difficult to detefmine ™° IS at fa«lt in tliis aspect. The- ! probability h that there is ca*ol«eness at times on tho part of individuAl railway employees in dis■VnipMes" ffom the tans at wayade stations, but equally thoi-c is to bftfeye that ijtfury WAy oe done by milk veadots .after fe. full cans are- hanM over b fem O fl * m ff in W«Hrnjttoft. Ho train tr&Mler wfte> keeps his eyes open ea,n fail to have noticed the rough fashion in wMch the milk-cans are on occasions handled, fedth by railway employees and by tho people who take the fwll' ea,ti.s away fr&m the stations and dttinp down tk emptiea on Wen- retnra. The only ekek lor this sort of thing i.s aeentfal milk dowot aaa inspection b;v rcspotisi'hlo pfntcrs. ftaaffliißitt tiling j s that in spite of the amtetbn which hus been carried oft for $o lftaray ■ years' to ensure that our milk supply "shaft tts above snfepbion—j» of the fact that the whole community is d:irrtotly enncernett with the quostioil nl pHfe milk—the apali.y o .f 0 «r publie wen on this impoi'ktnt question Wn . wnwes URdistnrbciJ, gome of -our StagistJatflSi however, appear to bo alive to the necessity of protectin.e the public as&amsfc unclean and adul- ■ terato.nl milk and the saluiary' fines : recently imposed in certain' cases shniild have a whelcsome aUaaf,' not only by acting as detewents to dishotiflst oscalfc-fes vendtrs, Jwt bv ,-ivoijsnig the jniblic to a reeoimition 0.1 t.h(» serionsß-css of the question.