MORE MILK TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3096, 29 May 1917, Page 7

MORE MILK TROUBLE

A CLEARING-HOUSE

Why dairy farmers

WANT IT

STOLEN CANS AND Mljtf

I the milk troubles 'of the City of Wellington are many, ' and the cnd is no( ., pl , .ilesterday a deputation from the Dairy jaarmera Association, consisting of Messrs. 1, J. Eydcr (presjtiont). o f Otaki; i'-ui Bro!Vn . o£ Trontham; S. Brown, of I -fkS' and F - Clifford, of Mungaroa; '*\ Vr H * Ward (secretary), waited upon ratio Health Committeo of tho City Council to ventilate somo grievances in which i*°s/- thought tho citj' should interest it-

■ Initially, Mr. Ward, who acted as ITe: i man, id tnat ]l ° was * n a Tat her I™™ position, as ho was an applicant Ijor tho position of milk manager, which laad been advertised, and yet he was ■■there with the association. For that afternoon ho would be glad if thoy would I4pndly not receive him as an applicant ;*or the position mentioned. Mr. Ward said that the first thing they wished to j bring under the notice of tho committee l,was the difficulty experienced by the (farmers in Retting their milk promptly to towD, and in getting the empty cans back again. Within "twenty miles of ihe town—he referral to Mungaroa-tho morning and ovoning's milk left by the e55 lKn, T - S° ods ,rain - Often it left at j-5.30. It was supposed to reach Wellington at 10.30 p.m., but it really -aria v -?ii a " 7 time between 10.30 p.m. and iwaylignfc the next morning. On arrival IH was switched on. to a siding, and tho S.-cendors caiuo down and helped thorn- 1 •St-f to ,, tho milk- One farmer lost j thirty gallons of milk Lα that way last iweek. Not only was milk lost, but the Milk, being closed up in the cans from twelve to eighteon hours, was not being toven a chance. The railway peoplo wji'ised to allow ono of- the Wairarapa. jS-raina to piok lt up for f(ar tha( . [wi the passengers might bo fivo minuter Jalo m arriving hero. So the milk had *o be sent into town by tho goods train, jjandwas at tho mercy of anyone who iiked to take it. In view of the whole o"«umstanpes of the milk business, he ' tj h0 comn »ttee to make its best «t£ a Tff - 10 rC m ed * lhis deplorable etatQot affairs. They wore losing- a great nurif ,1 f°f? ly c . o , ramerci "l'r but in the pUTity of the milk owmg to the lengthy transit and the time tho milk was left ■on. the railway platforms, after which uf™\l- '? mod for Gendit, S stale milk [into Wellington. On a recent occasion a Cli at ¥ un ?aroa was left from Saturday morning until Tuesday night withC w° a M iJ e J, ,ol,ed that the S <x,mmitIt»k 7l\ nWe to afford temporary JftK , ' «»tth»t they woul<f push on lMtJi the erection of the, cleanup gSpA^^T^ihS «l f l xpenenced B " end of trouble, caoi busing was as a(lu te; as ifv'nf C ?i! fford a 'Z°- oniphasised tho gravity of the can trouble, and hoped that the council would eoon give them' the t?; h r Tbe transit of milkwss ♦he first tnmjr to think about. If they eouM.aot .get good .transit, they coulcl cit.T a gowl milk supply. \J/a} W > B . row " said that between'the iaiddle of August and the end of Nojjember last .£25 would pot pay him for itne cans he had lost, and he was only la small farmer. The loss must be con- ■ considerably more tea big farmer. He teould- quote many other ;cases. To trace I the cans was impo'sible. I Conncillor J. 0. Shorland: Is this the Veßular thing every yeaf ? - ' -Mr."Brown-: From 10' t o, 15 per cent.'of jeans -are lost every year. ' Sometimes I lave procured new cane, sent them- in, land have never seen them again. I Canacillor Shorknd: It'« a matter for ■ the police—looks to mo like a straightout steal!

Mr. Brown said that in tho matter of [the return of cans the Tvailway Departimonf. would take no responsibility. On one occasion he <=ent away 10 cans, and for three davs after ho did rot have a tan at all.. Subsequently ho sot foren of the forty back. Each five-gallon can *o*t from L'Os. io 255.

-Air. Ryder said that some of the farmers sent their milk to town in 16-Rallon wans—some got on board ship, or in ■boardinghouses, or wero iijed for eoma special purpose. Now, if they got out two gallons of whiekj-—(laughter)—or Ivinegar, they were charged 7s, 6d. for ihe demijohn, and criven a rcba.to of that amount when the jar was returned; but the railways carried the empties freo rf charge and took no responsibility. He 'Iwl ficcwed half' a dozen brand new cans, -but they had pone ns cleanly as though they had beon blown, away. If fWellington. had a, clearing-house, tlio Vans wonld te> returned from there, and itho vendors would- take the milk away in their own cans. They knew-that their f-ans had been seen in iho London docks and Egypt.

Councillor Godbor: That explains that !f.hey were sent away in transports!

Mr. Ryder: They were e&en in ths I/mdon docks before Lhere were any transports.

Tho chairman (Councillor R. A. Wright) said that, if tho Railway Onpartmont regarded it in. tha.t light and took no responsibility, it was difficult, to know how a, clearing-house was going to hslp them- ' Mr. Byder said that there might; he one or, two dishonest farmors, hut. tho majority of the cans wero lost in town.. Councilor W. H. Bennett Raid that the deputation had disclosed a. rcnndalous eUte of affiiirs, but as to the delays at Mungaroa and other stations,, he did not sen how they were (o alter such things when the clearinghouse was up. They could not. very well go to thf> railway authorities ami eny: "We're wine to lake, over your line!" It appeared to him that, the committee was powerless in. tho matter. It was a matter more for the detectives. "Let us-'get a. Bolution of thn whole matter," said Councillor Bennett, "let UK ect somewhere—we've got nowhere in tho last two years!"

Councillor Castle asked whether, us tho dairy farmers said, they would benefit by a clcna-ing-houso, they would bo prepared to contribute any substantial amount to its erection.

Mr. Ward, replyincr generally lo councillors, said that when tho clbarimrliouso peoplo put tho cans on Iho railway they would know how many them wcro—them would be a check. Tho farmers had offered io pay for the carriage of empty cans or nay the cost of an employee to check them, but without avail. With tho clearing-house it would bo different, as tho cans would not bo loaned to tho vendors, but would bo cleaned and returned to the railway, and if they did not reach their owners, it would' beknown that tho Railway Department was to blame—it would fix the responsibility on tho proper parlies. Mr. Ward' pointed out that tho City Council would have far greater weiffht with the railway authorities than a few farmers. When tho farmers saw the railway authorities they merely said: "Here are (ho train arrangements; if you don't like it. do tho other thing!" If tho farmers could save from .£2O to .£25. spent in cans, and get a fair and square deal from the railways it was probable that ho would tako lees for his m.ilfc than ho demanded under present conditions. A. five-gallon can cost Ks., and tho valuo of tho milk it contained was 55., or a little under. For the last two years ,£501) had been spent on cans each rear. That had to be ndded to tho price of milk. If better conditions -were brought ■about and tho fanner was quite sure of getting his cans back again in reasonable time, it would go a long way towards lessening- tho cost of milk. The chairman: Do you mean to toll me (hat tho Railways refused to accent cans as freight ?

Mr. Ward: Yes; it was offered, and ther refused to be paid for them. Tho chairmon: They could not as common carriers.

Mr. TS r ard_ said that thero was some od regulation which had never been altered under which they refused to accept nny responsibility for. milk cans. A councillor: Do you pay less freight on that account?

Mr. Ward: The freight w. milk i= mgnor than any other commodity Tt means .£6OOO per annum to the' TCailjnr Department for Wellington .iW 'no Farmers' Association wrote to the Department offering to contribute towards tho co=t of ereotiiitr «. place to receive the milk, but had never received ai' official reply. ! TV chairman sMd that the committee would consider the whole matter rery thoroughly and report in duo courfe