MORE ABOUT MILK

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2907, 20 October 1916, Page 7

MORE ABOUT MILK

THE CITY SUPPLY

EFFORTS FOR PRECAUTIONS

The Health Committee reported to iho City Council'last evening that they had appointed a sub-committoo consisting of Councillors Bush and Bennett to wait on the District Hoalth Officer 'to ascertain what action ia taken in connection with milk' vendors in tho ' city whose milk samples do not comply with the regulations under tho Sale of Food and Drugs Act. Tho committee recommended that the council .should suggest to tlie Department tiiat itis essential to the success of a pilro milk supply to the City that more frequent and rigid inspection of the dairy farms and byres than is at present carried out by the Agricultural Department should be undertaken. The: Sub-Committee reported: "Your sub-committee have to rejiorl) "thoy havo interviewed Dr. Smith, District Health Officer, as directed # by the committeo . at. their last meeting, upon tho.ques- . tion of the action taken by the Department In tile matter of milk :6am- ' pies l and prosecutions against offenders wider tho Sale of Food and Drugs Act. Dr. Smith intimated at tlio commencement of tho interview/ that through an oversight on tho part of his office, tho cofnmittee havo' not - received all tho information that should have lieen conveyed to them in time for their last meeting. This he will have rectified, and in future all the information required by the committee will bo forwarded, i.e., the name&'of the persons to be prosecuted, and of thoso to be ■warned for breaches of-the Act. In .. cases where dirt) is found in milk, Dr. Smith informed us that they forwarded information to tho Agricultural Department, and. as opportunity offers, that Department visits the supplier and inspects the byro. Tho doctor stiftrd further that ho is endeavouring to obtain tho conscnfc of tho Minister to' have regulations made, requiring all milk cans to.bo. sealed on tho farm, the only people who would ho permitted to break the seal_ would ho an inspector or jho .consigneo; ••Tlio convenor would'be freo from blame after . the seal has been broken and an examination made. Your committed brought'under Dr. Smith's'notice the. question of fines, and urged that steps' be taken' .to induco the Magistrate to inflict heavier. i>«nalties when convic.tions iire recorded. : The doctor stated ■ that the Department had been as'much concerned with the nspect of the case as is the council, and he was preparing for the Minister a schedule of the fines <. inflictedthroughout the Dominion, which ha considers, would show that the Wellington fines were not severe enough to act as a. deterrent. Further, the District Health Officer stated

that lie had applied for the services of

another inspector and has every hope ■of the appointment being made. The

/ Department expressed to us their complete satisfaction with the wort ■of Inspector Lawrence (the corporation in--specter). Your sub-committee gained the that the Pubilc Health Department is following up the milk supply Question very energetically, and they believed that Dr.. Smith" is wholehearted in his desire to meet- the ■ council's