PURE MILK

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2902, 14 October 1916, Page 7

PURE MILK

WORK OF HEALTH DEPARTMENT

NEW REGULATIONS MOOTED

Reporting to the Public Health Committee of the City Council this week, a sub-committee (Councillors W. H. Bennett and T. Bush) gave particulars of their interview with the District Health Officer (Dr. Sydney Smith) upon the question ■of the action taken by the Department in the matter of' milk samples and prosecutions against offenders under the Sale of Foods and Drugs Act. Dr. Smith intimated that through an oversight the committee had not received all the -.information that should have been conveyed-to. in time for their last meeting, lliis ho would have rectified, and in future all the information required by the committee will be forwarded, i.e., the names of the-.persons- to .be -prosecuted, and of those to he warned for breaches o£ the Act. BYEE INSPECTION AND SEALED CANS. "fu cases where dirt is found in. milk" (the report "Dr. Smith.informed us that they forwarded information to tho Agricultural.Department, and, as opportunity offers, that Department visits the. supplier.and inspects his byre. The dootor' stated further that he is endeavouring ' to obtain the consent of the Minister to have regulations mfide, requiring all milk-cans to he sealed on the farm. only person who would bo permitted to' break the seal would be an inspector or the consignee. Tho consignor would be free from blame after the/seal.'has been broken and an examination made.- " HEAVIER FINES WANTED. " " Vonr committee brought-under. Dr.. Smith's notice the .question-- of lines, and urged that steps be', tajceii to induce the Magistrate .ti> -inflict. heavier penalties when convections are recorded. The doctor stated ■.' that tho Department had. been, as much..concernedwith the aspect -;01. -the/case, as is. the council, and .he was -preparing for the Minister a. scheduJe;.of .'the IjiieS iullicted throughout -thev Dominion,- which he considers would ton fines were not severe'erioiigh ,to act as a deterrent. '

'AN ENERGETIC 'DEPARTMENT.

'Further, tho District Health Office) stated that he had-applied-', for the service of another inspector,- and .has every hope of the appointment ■ being made. The Department expressed to' us their complete satisfaction with the work of Inspector Lawrence. lour sub-committee gained tho impression ' that tho Public Health Department is follo.wlng up the milk supply ;|uestion very, energetically, and they believed that Dr. Smith is whole-hearted in l is desire to meet the council'? wishes. Hie suh-committce rccommend?d iliat Dr. Smith be thanked for the information so spontaneously given."

RESULT OF INSPECTION'S. -The committee at its meeting received from tho Department a statement showing the result of inspcct.io.as made up to October 3. Out of 590' samples taken, 60 did not comply with the regulations. In 25 cases it >w»3 decided to prosecute, the offence in the greater number - of these- instances being low" fat, ; dirt; or - added•••water.* Whore/.th'o'inspection showed a-, sjo-ail amount of'Ctlrt, or-small added wato.\ as in ::tho' remaining cases,'■"[ i"i'%dniing was given. In forwarding "the 'return (which showed tho dates on w'-ieh ;ho cases were sent to tho Crown law 'Department for action), Dr Smith explained that the.proscciitious had been delaVcd owing to the.pressnrc_oL.wotki!l" tho .'Magistrate's Courts, but / arrangements had been made to have a separate day for the hearing of tho charges on Cfbtober 16.

further; precautions. Tho District Health Officer-advised tho committeo that- where possible tho name of tho supplier by whom tho milk was forwarded to tho vendor was obtained and samples were taken from such supplied by an officer of tho Health Department. By this means several suppliers had been detected and. prosecuted. Where there was anything to indicate that tho niilk was nob handled properly, or contained dirt, a notice was iorwarded to the Department of Agriculture, so that officers niight investigate conditions at tho supplier's dairy.. Dr. Smith suggested that a bnck should bo kept by tho corporation showing the name of tho ven'lor, the supplier, tho dato that tho sample was taken, result of analysis, and acV"ii taken. This would enablo ready reference to be had to-the cases. _In addition a card index for each individual liccnse-d vendor should be kept showing the samples taken and tho result. This would enable the council to sco. at once tho number of samples. taken from each individual, and their results, without having to peruso large numbers of reports.