CITY MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3058, 20 April 1917, Page 8

CITY MILK SUPPLY

STEP TO FINALITY MANAGER TO BE APPOINTED A great volume of talk was provoked at the mooting of th'e City Council last night by a proposal for dealing with the City's milk supply. Tho Mayor submitted tho following recommendation of tho Finance- Committeo:— "The committee havo to report that in furtherance of the_ council's resolution to enter into a municipal milk distribution scheme, they aro of opinion that applications should, bn jnvjted from suitable persons lor "tlio position of organiser of tho scheme, and to advise the City. Engineer on tho requirements of a milk station. Tho committee recommend that the above course be adopted, and that they bo empowered to fix the rate of salary, etc;" ■<; - . • The Mayor said that at. the last meeting of the council it was evidently the opinion of tho council that a man should be appointed to organise the' milk scheme. Indeed, the engineer had admitted that until he had tho assistance of such a man, he was more or less working in the dark. There was a report on the. subject in the report of the' Public-Health Committee, and Councillor Hildreth 'moved this latter clause as an amendment. Thero was'a deal of argument as to -whether this clause could be substituted. The Mayor held that as tho council had definitely delegated tho matter to the Finance Committoo, he could not allow the wish of the council to be negatived by the substitution for the Finance Committee's report of the report, of another committee. This ruling: raised a perfect storm of protest, which, however, was in no way acrimonious. In the end, .the Mayor said that he could accept an amendment on similar lines if moved by a.councillor individually. Councillor Hutcheson thereupon moved the amendment in this shape, which was almost exactly in the form of the recommendation of the. Health. Committee:— . . "The committee have to report •that.in furtherance of the council's resolution to enter- into a milk distribution'scheme, applications be invited by advertisement from persons competent to advise the council on the- whole question of-the supply "arid conveyance of . milk to the City, and , its subsequent distribution by the-munici-pality to the consumers; on the estimated cost (in reasonable detail) of buildings, machinery, and plant necessary for receiving and distributing, the milk;'on the. staff re- , - quired and generally, as to.the best means of securing ah adequate and pure.milk supply forthe City, at a reasonable cost." There was a great deal of discussion on the proposals—Councillor Godber called it "hot air"—but as all councillors claimed to favour some form of municipal control of the mijk supply, tho discussion was unimportant. The Mayor said that there were triflers on the council who had, consistently blocked the passage.of any proposal for tho reform of the milk supply, but the several councillors who- are generally regarded as '.'The Opposition," all pleaded "Not Guilty." _ . , 'The amendment was carried.