THE MILE PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2773, 17 May 1916, Page 8

THE MILE PROBLEM

CITY I^C'V •■ council ;:,■■ '' ' 'AV "'''••* ■~"'* -'v-'- : : ' The ;following "statement by the ■Wellington ';IMnSttl'Milk ; Vendors' Association, inooijofated, ..will-.-.be presented by the to .the, City v Council toinorrow lftpßtiis£r' "•';";■■' ■■-' ' : ' v. : : - Our. as^Ci^.tjo_ni;-fLS■■ a .duly, registered body Incorporated as members 31) firms oi'.'cb'ttifa.ttles'.'who are engaged in ■tho businessjoj venditigihiilk. , Tho association- consists,of milk vendors only, .antt+ni'ust-Jnot'be confused with tho AYeljlngton' jßajiry'. Farmers' Co-operative Association,- .%$&?, which is a limited liabilityrcomp'aiiy tegisAared .under tho Company Act,-1908,".and'( has' as membhrs 21$ (about) •'. daify-faijmers; in -the TVairarapa, Uutfc.-.'and Manawatii, districts, i

This'limitedllability company purchases .tWJnvhole-'of the .inilk produced by its 243 [members;' payi-ig the' members for the sumejiianid, jpsjiyicts . eachT'farmer who is a, : member,;wherevsucri! inilkshaE be delivered;aid is"whonr it shall be supplied. iTlie'&iry.c'fai'nier. enters;!into an agreemeht.'rwithvtho which he isi.a shaiyholdo'r) );hat;.he' gives, full con;troi of:-liis'!out'put.'ibf 'milk'to the ; company.')" ;In -;certain7'.iiistances';; during the : season" tha't'dairy;' factories are'- in- opera.tioh,, by;;agreem6nt,Vsupplies' may bo sent. to certain'-factories.' \The' supplies available fot"consumption in the.City of Wellington' Tare .cqhtroUed-by,- : the■ company, .with the exception of .supplies,-obtainable from-;'tho : few, dairy: farmers cwho are not 'members - 'of thb;company. ■ .;;; • ' F.rom-timo-to; time tho company fixes -the-price-'to b9'='paid-by 1 -the-milk vendor for Ku'pijlies 'fcoeived; and; the has..'iniorhied; oiif executive that' it will iiot!ifix .-a"'price for-•more, -than three nionths ahead.:-'>. ; ;' ,'.-;,; -'.

.Tho .of .the' price' for !April;.-litl6; .Was a. circular notice: received by 'post-on'.i-March 30, 1916, giving one dayV'hotice-'that'tho prico for milk 6up--plied-from.April I, TJlb',;aud.u'ntil. further' notice',' .would be' Is: -Id;,per gallon, .price, at..thatftime- ivas.lOd., ( plus freight-.'idi,: equals lid: per.:gallon. ' SiOur' association's 1 objection to so short given ■; brought : ii.o reply itlmt- oi^the'coinijan'y reserve tbi'themsclvcs the .right',, to give such Bri.tianas they deem lit.;-The price fixed byi^the-rconipauy-must be paid, as othorwiilibe cutofi from vendors notice. ; Those farmers.not, nieihbßrs'iof Vthe company-take the. company's price. as a standard when' dealing with'.vendors.■'-;. ~

The'Vililk,-Vendors' -Association,,upon • receipt;, ;pf• -notice ; bn^Marc'h-,,3o,';,;that. an iiltoase':'irou\"lld^':to!':ls^ld.:''i'p^er': , sfalloii .hxed 'hadvno••''recourse; but to jnhtkV'thb smallest 'rise''"possible;,".i.e.;. from Gd. per quart, for. small quantities, ■atatyfpr larger quantities a,proportionate increase on tho previous'rates. ;On the .total'output: by. a. vendor the average pried obtained is 5Jd;, not lid., per.quart, as largo'percentage^of the output is sold to wholesale customers and Tates.-..:.,'',' '■'■'■■'_ , : *i'htf 'consumer, oh an- increase -in' price ■ fiOat'^i'. to.Gd.'perquart,..takes'.less milt. ;iitfv:'§rdei?';td as 1 nearly ■' as possible, 'keep, th|?!(iSpeiiditure about' thel.saraoias' before:.. Tliis~,"crononiy •on'' : the'-'.part''of ?the7,'co^ : . silill«l'"'causos the output by '' the'. Vendorttfjfalf'dr decreasoby. 25 per-cent.',-i.e., aff output of 100 •gallons per day would fill to 75 gallons. In the better districts, wiiiero domestics have central in ordering supplies, the fall might be 20 per cent. ."Ihe expense 1 of distribution is increased, as 1 !-tho causes which operate. against the f£Fmer and forces. the Company, to increase the price,.; also apply to the vendor. Tho net .result is."that, the vendor h'as a smaller output at a : higher cost, afl'd that explains briefly; tho difference .of.'ld..between the two increases, or. "the increase, on an increase" which; "His..AVor-> 'ship the Mayor has stated will take sonie•thing to convince Jura-; is a. right thing ■'to.do^.VA/'!:-;.- : i.',v. , ;;i';',i : '. ■;' '.';'.; :••'-; :■ ..■'■..'

i_ .represetttative of pno';of.'t'ho largest milk-vending businesses present can ; tell you that .his' firm, did : 'uoti-inakqtlia ia--crease from scl; to-Gd.-pw,quart, for theicouih of April; and'failuro to. do so'cost; his firm.a very considerable suni,- and it" : - has boeji compelled .to make tlie. increase ' | .'as-.from-'Mny;-1. 1 .>v.— ! -.v; ■~..'. . , •' ■ '• It .can.'bo. shown, that iio price between '. hi. and Gd. -per" quirt can'be fixed/ assum'ing'.thai;'.(id.,is claimed to.be. excessive. , ; '.; .The g'pntentioh. of our association is that , the. Dairy Farmers' Company flies the - 6elliug.price:to the' public,.in' other .jvb.rds '.' the vendor has no option but to /'pass on" ■ a£ increase ma.'le by ; the'•' company.',

Figures., are available showing that from Septeniber, : :"i9ls, ;;i i<>' February, 1916, ,the company-received-one halfpenny per' gallon ln'orb". 'each month' than for: tho 'corresponding'' months :.of the. previous year. ■For months; the vendor, received one halfpenny per gallon less each month. For March,.. 191 C, the* farmer received :ono penny •more; the'-vendor,twopenco more; for Aprii,l9l6; the'-'fanner'twopeuce more; the< vendors twopence more than fqj the same months .in 1915/; ".■ ;T*kihg.the twelve months ending April : 80yiV.1916|;: the .average; price per chargediby" the,' company to the "vendor .wis- 91d,' v .',compaTMl , ■'with Is.' 1d.,n0w,. vKlet for the same period the average .■'■ '-. V ' ■'■"' '• .'-.'.-

price charged to tho consumer by- the vendor was Is.. Scl., compared with Is.. lUd. now. TVnen conipareu. with i'eoruary, WIG,-, the increase by tho company lr,«a Bd. to Is. Id. per Ballon equals. e2J'' per cent., whilst the increase by tho vendor to tho consumor from Is, su.' to Is. lOd., less 2d. .extra charged by. the tanner, equals 17i per cent. '■ .At the coufevonce convened by His TT'orship the Alayor, and held -in tho Council Chamber on Monday, May 1, l'Jlli, arguments in support of the increase by the oompauy wenc to. show that thougn 1U per cent, more farmers are sending iu milk' than at tnis time last year, ,there was a 10 per cent, decrease in iho quantity ot inilK sent in to TV'elliug'ton. .That was entirely owing to the drought, 'and tho farmer was laced with tho liigli : price of fodder' and tuo failure of root crops. It was.a question of geitinjr a ■fair,price for tho niilk or getting no milk 'lit ail in the City;.,it would be sent to Itho'i'actbry' instead. -.' .) Our association desires the Mayor to Ascertain to his own satisfaction whether Is, Id. was a fair price per gallon for the company to charge. , The Mayor" said he had got to be satisfied, and-thought the fanners were justified in'asking for a higher price and au increase to Is. in April might be reasonable, but hardly thought the- increase to Is. Id.' justified,

ITroni figures that are available, it can. be shown that tho return to tho\ farmer for milk supplies for butter-making is BJd., compared With Is. when sent to the City and BJd..for. cheese-making, compared with Is. when sent to the City. . It was.the. desire of milk vendors at the 'conference on May 1 that tho foregoing particulars be.made public, in order that any misapprehension existing in the mind of the consumer that he was being exploited by the milk vendor may be •removed, and, further, to show that at present there is, no law to prevenj; a- farmers' milk trust in New Zealand. 1

Clearing House, Our association uesires more iuforma-' tionto be made public regarding the establishment ot, a clearing house lor the City of Wellington than has been supplied'to date. .'".':'■'

• No information has been requested ot or supplied to the council or tne Health Committee by our 'association, or us far ■an we know by' any' representatives of the milk vendors.generally. Until full information is available, our members cannot say whether the proposal to erect a clearing house should be supported or opposed, Uur association desires respectfully to suggest that the council berore committing itself too far in, the matter of.; a clearing house should definitely ascertain practical rather than theoretical advantages and-disadvantages, .and to that end the members of our association will gladly co-operate in ascertaining the following:— .' . .;. (1) The process to be adopted in handling, the milk in the clearing house. . (a)'' Whether "tests" or an "analysis" of the niilk will bo necessary. (8) The delay this work.will cause. ' ' (4.) ;What, warranty the" consumer', will receive that .the milk is pure alter it leaves the clearing house. 15). Why the farmer, should be given 'a"-warranty.;tbat his milk; is pure.and the expense .borne.by the consumer and possibly''the ratepayer. .-. ~ '.'.•■',. The ''likelihood, of .securing insulated vans on the rail,, speedier transit by rail, better conditions for delivery from farm to clearinghouse.. (7) Whether the efforts contemplated will compensate' for the loss "of time in passing the supplies through the clearing house. ... ■; (8) What would be done with milk produced at Miramax,' Mukara, - and Karori and' delivered ■in those districts. " ,'■" , (9) Whether the milk 'should become the property of tho 'City.'. Council, when it reaches tho '.clearing house • and is ' 'pooled". '■ there, for sale to',-the vendor, or whether it. is'to be, consigned : by the farmer, via -the clearing-.house,, to the vendor. ''■'■■'■'■•.!■-"•' .'.•••.•' Points of Difficulty. ' &onio< points of difficulty present themselves to our association, amongst'which might be'mentioned: (1) The .probability that milk through being"kept in coolistorage at the clearing house will turn sour 1 on leaving the clearing house through a change in the temperature. '.■'■•■' (2) Whatever process is adopted in. the clearing house, there will be a delay of from one to eight hours according to the method adopted.for clearing supplies and delivering same-to the. vendor. •'(3). Sight, smell,: taste; lactometer, Babcock, and acid' tests are tho "tests" usually adopted by .vendors to prove whether mllkis fresh, sweet, stale, sour, or improperly cooled, but not to prove, whether/it has beta adulterated. That has to bo done by.' ' .. • ■ (4) Analysis, which will\ take eight hours. . . ....." ;■.•',

(5) Wananty'that milk is pure in'Bot being, given to the' public but merely' to the farmer will not provide the remedy now being sought. ■ . J6) Cost of working the clearing houso having to be'borne by tho consumer that the farmer may receive this warranty is hardly fair to tho consumer, who should receive more satisfaction than, will bo obtained under the present proposal.

Alternative Suggestions.

As. alternative suggestions, our association', submits that there should be fresh 'supplies procurable by: ' :''•'.]

: (.1) Speedier, transit by rail direct from farms', to-vendors.' .'■'. ■.:.■/, •

(2) More frequent: inspection (a) on farm, (b)' in- transit by rail, (c) during delivery.. : ...' ;

.(3) Daylight delivery, and if train arrangements would permit between 8 a.m. and; 5 p.m. to-;erisure: (a) Daylight in-

spections of all deliveries, (b) • delivery under more sanitary conditions, (c)-cus-tomer in more direct touch with vendor.

(i) Avoi'lauco to large extent of necessity by vendor to pasteurise the milk. (5) Provision in City building regulations that all houses to bo erected to bs provided with. a. suitable place in. which to leave milk jug? and billies.