PURE MILK

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2774, 18 May 1916, Page 6

PURE MILK

THE NEED OF WELLINGTON STATEMENT OF POLICY CITY COUNCIL AND RAILWAY The need fox - improvement in the Wellington milk 6upply was brought under the notice of the Prime. Minister by a deputation from the Greater Wellington Town Planning and Municipal Electors' Association. 1

Dr. A. K. Newman, ALP., in introducing the deputation, said that the quality of milk in tho cities and towns of tho Dominion was unsatisfactory, and tile deputation urged the Government to ensure that an improvement was brought about. There was a great need to "keep the cradles full," but the occupants of the cradles ought to bo certain of being supplied with .'pure milk. What they wanted was that the Government should institute and carry out a systematic and rigid inspection of the milk from the cow to the baby. In addition, the Wei lington City Council was very anxious to havo a clearing house established on a site near the railway station. Mr. Massey: Is there a site available? Dr. Newman: There is a piece of land which they suggest would be suitable. We want the whole question of tho milk supply for the Dominion taken into consideration, liecause we, know there is a great deal of liarm done through defective milk being supplied. Inspection a Necessity. Mr. T. Ballinger urged the. necessity ot the inspection of milk being undertaken by the_ Government. He understood that tho Chief Inspector controlled a large district aibout Wellington, as far as Pal- 1 merston North on the west, and the Summit on tho east. He believed he had. some assistants, but they had been put' on to the work in connection with) tho camps. There was little doubt that the inspection had been neglected in the past, and it was imperative that that state of things should 'be remedied at once. The inspection must begin at the farm and go right on to the consumer. He was told the other day by a milk vendor that receptacles for milk were sometimes placed in gully traps, where' the waste water from tie sinks was poured down, and near rubbish tins. Such a state of things could only he remedied by having real live inspectors, who must be employed by the Government. At least two Inspectors would l>e required for the city, and others for the outlying suburbs. Tihey should be always on the move, and pay frequent surprla* visits to tho vendors and consumers. To be of Rny benefit, a. clearing-house must servo the whole district. Mr. H. W. Tolan said that they in Wellington felt the position more keenly than some otter towns, on account of our- distance from the cow. He thought the Government might have given more assistance to the City Council in tlio appointment of inspectors, and in investing them with full powers of. inspection. It. seemed incomprehensible to them tint the people in charge of our affairs should be unable to find a. solution of the difficulty ; it could easily be solved, they thought by more, hearty co-operation betwee'n the City Council and the heads of the Railway and Agricultural Departments. .

Mr. Massey's Reply, The Prime Minister, in replying, said he agreed thoroughly with the opinion expressed as to tho necessity of milk inspection. Tho Department of Agriculture looked after the inspection m tho country districts, and the. Health Depertmimt in the city. That was the position m other parts' of the Dominion. As far. as Wellington was concerned, thero was an inspector engaged in this work, exclusively inspecting, not. only in Wellington, but also in tho district from which the Wellington supply in drawn, extending into the Wairarapa, and the .Manawatu. .rlo had a considerablo amount of assistance from a veterinary officer, and from inspectors of stock, and whenever work was slack at the meat exjxn't slaughterhouses, ho got further assistance .from the meat, inspectors. Tha Dairy Department had charge of i-ho milk until it passed the farm gate. As soon as it pnssed tho farm gate it became a matter for the.Health Department, which looked after the sioutary transport and . distribution of the- inilk, and also questions of adulteration. He was informed by the Department that there is no doubt that as far as the inspection of farms is concerned, the work was infinitely better done than a few years ago, the inspection being more frequent and more thorough. Tho deputation added that the fact that the inspection on the whole is satisfactory was proved by the fact that numerous tests made at the Wallacevillo laboratory invariably failed to discloso any tubercular bacilli in the milk. The Clearing House. As to the, clearing house in Wellington the matter was referred to in the ques. tions which. were being addressed to Ministers in the House. In answer to a question by Mr. Field, the Minister of Railways (Hon. W. H. Hemes) would state as follows:— "Any difficulty which has occurred up to the present, in connection with tho establishment on railway land of a clearing station for milk traffic has resulted from the City Council expecting to obtain from the Railway Department a valuable site without payment of rent and railway-siding access, which it is impossible to grant prior to the erection of Hi" new central station. The City Council is now apparently prepared to ndnr-,1 a more reasonable attitude, ami ia arranging to discuss the matter further with myself and the General Manager, and a meeting will take nlacc? at an eivly Hate. There are conditions inseparable from the. leasiusr of land by the Railway Department (this land being held for iMmn-fide railway, traffic nuriiosis, and therefore only for limited periods), which may finally influence the City Council in establish a milk depot on Harbour Board or other suitable vacant land: but should the Citv Council remain of opinion that the site for tho milk deiinf, should b° on railway land, they will find the R-ailwav at oil times ready to consider its nro.no?al= in a fair and businesslike spirit.! provided such •prnnn.w.lfl are reasonable and nr« clearly de fi ned." Dr. Newman: "You approve of that policy?" Mr. Massey: "Yes-, certainly." Tf, he added. lie could do anvthing further to make the condition of thin.es more satis, factory lie would be glad to do so.

TVe have Teceived from Messrs. A. S. Patterson and Co., Ltd., th® proprietors of the "Big Tree" foraud of benzine and kerosene, a useful Touring Map of the North, and South Islands. All motorists should have one of these complete maps, and wo understand that copies- will be supplied free of charge from tho Wellington office of Messrs. A. S. Patterson 'and Co., Lto.

Passengers arriving at Sydney from the Marshall Islands state that the islands are still held by the Japanese, who are carrying on extensive trading operations in copra and other products among tho islands. Two small inter-island steamers aro employed, as well as a couple of auxiliary craft, and shipments of copra and other produce are sent away by tho monthly steamer, a vessel of 4000 tons capacity, running direct to Japan.